The Sorcerer article
by meringueshell
Summary: Lucy's first appearance in the Sorcerer magazine is out and she couldn't be more excited! However, her feelings change drastically when she actually gets to read the article. And then there's the other content of the magazine which stirs up feelings so strong that it threatens to destroy the world as Natsu and Lucy know it. Nalu story, some Jerza & Gajevy. Rated M. Lemon?
1. Chapter 1

The Sorcerer article - Part one

"Look Natsu!" the stellar spirit mage yelled happily and waved a magazine in his face. "My first story in the Sorcerer!"  
"That's great Luigi..." the dragon slayer said with his back to the blond, still munching on a fire chicken wing. Beside him Happy, the blue exceed, was trying to fit an entire salmon in his mouth.  
"It's Lucy you idiot!"  
No response.

The blond sighed heavily and went over to the bar where Levy was talking to Mira about a job request she wanted to take. Maybe they would be more excited about her first appearance in Fiore's greatest magazine (oh, who was she kidding, it was a gossip magazine) on the magic world?  
"Levy-chan!" the blond called to her friend and waved her hand.  
"Lu-chan!" the blue haired script mage said with a huge smile. "I read your story this morning! It was - interesting..."  
"Yes, Lucy," the white haired barmaid said and raised one brow questioningly. "I didn't know you and Natsu were official now?"  
"What?!" Lucy said in shook, regretting dreadfully that she hadn't read the article before coming to the guild. She opened the magazine in her hand and quickly flipped the pages over until she landed on a picture of herself.  
"That's not the picture I agreed upon!" she screamed exasperated when she saw herself, wearing nothing but a polka dot bikini, staring seductively out of the glossy magazine.  
"Oh dear..." Mira sighed and put her hand to her cheek, tilting her head slightly. "That Jason is a naughty boy."

"Lucy Hearfilia," the blond read out loud from the article's headline. "Fairy tail's whip wielding stellar spirit mage..."  
"Well that's not NOT true," Levy pointed out.  
"Eyes: Brown, Hair: Blond, Weight: Heavy (other source)!" Lucy gasped and threw the blue exceed a look that said I-will-kill-you-in-your-sleep.  
"Hehe," Mira laughed awkwardly. "At least they got two out of three correct."  
"Hobbies:" Lucy continued. "Writing erotic novels, cooking and shopping (mostly for cosplay costumes such as her famous maid costume, bunny suit or cheerleader outfit)."  
"I didn't know you wrote erotic stories, Lucy?" Erza said as she suddenly appeared right next to the blond.  
"I don't!"  
"Too bad..." the redhead muttered and turned her attention back to the strawberry cake in her hand.  
"And I do not mostly shop cosplay outfits!"  
"Maybe, I could kinda understand why Jason would think that." Levy said and looked the blond from top to toe and then up again. She was wearing a short, brown skirt that hung loosely on her hips, fixated with the belt where she kept her keys and whip. Her plaid shirt was tied in a knot just above the navel and on her feet were knee high, brown leather boots.  
"Levy!" Lucy cried out in surprise and sadness.  
"I'm sorry Lu-chan," the blue haired script mage pleaded. "I know how bored you must have been, wearing what someone told you to wear every day, and now you're - erm - experimenting."  
Lucy gaped a her best friend, what did she mean "experimenting"?

As the stellar mage stood petrified, staring at her blue haired friend, the redheaded ex-quip mage reached out and took the magazine from her hand.  
"Partner: Natsu Dragneel," she read out loud. "So he's confessed already?"  
"What!?" Lucy screamed and turned to face the redhead instead. Levy sighed in relief.  
"I didn't mean that he was my partner-partner. I meant partner as in work partner or friend - partner..." she said but then suddenly something else dawned on her.  
"Already?" she asked the ex-quip mage with a blush on her cheeks.  
"Yeah, I wasn't expecting him to confess for another month," the redhead said matter-of-factly and put a piece of cake in her mouth. "I guess I owe you those five thousand jewels now, Mira."  
"You made a bet?" Levy asked nervously.  
"Ha!" Mira said triumphantly. "I told you Natsu would confess before Gajeel did, Scarlet!"  
"Well it seems that you were right this time, Strauss, but I still have Gajeel and Levy up for next ones to be married!"  
Lucy and Levy stared incredulously at the two S-class wizards. Then they looked at each other and laughed.

"Erza, let me read the next part," Lucy said and held out her hand towards the ex-quip mage. She wanted to read through everything before telling the others about it.  
"Sure."  
Lucy scanned through the rest of the article but found nothing that was too odd or too wrong to complain about. As she read quietly, suddenly a face appeared right next to hers.  
"KYAAA!" she screamed and jumped several centimeters into the air.  
"Oi Lucy!" the pink haired boy said while peeking over her shoulder at the glossy magazine. "What's that thing next to you?"  
"Natsu don't scare me so!" she yelled at him before looking back at the article.  
The next page was a Q&A and this time it was about sex. Which meant that, right next to picture-Lucy, there was a huge picture of a purple dildo.  
"Oh my Mavis how could I miss that!" Lucy gasped.  
"What is it?" the others asked as none of them could see the picture.  
"It looks like a staff," Natsu tried to explain when Lucy didn't answer. "But purple..."  
"That's a dildo!" a brown haired woman with alcoholic breath said as she turned up on Lucy's other side.  
"Oh!" Erza, Mira and Levy all said at the same time.

"What's a dildo?" the dragon slayer asked.  
"It's a fake cock." Cana said simply.  
"It's a sex toy that women, and men, use as a penetrative stimulant." Erza corrected her.  
"Yeah, as I said, fake cock."  
"Cana a cock, or penis, can be used for so much more than penetration." Erza continued her lecturing and Lucy was surprised at how she was doing this. Usually the ex-quip mage got really flustered around anything romantic or sexual but apparently not this time. Maybe it helped that she was the one doing the scolding, that was her natural environment after all, shouting at people and telling them what to do and what was correct. Or maybe, just maybe, Lucy thought, that last time they'd met Jellal had been enough to get Erza out of her romantic non-comfort zone?  
"Why would you want that?" the dragon slayer said with a huff.  
"Pleasure." Cana said with a satisfied smile. "You do know what that is don't you, Natsu?"  
"Of course!" the pink haired boy said angrily and crossed his arms.

"Now," Cana said and turned to Lucy. "Continue reading!"  
"My interview?"  
"No, dumbass! The Q&A! I wanna hear what those idiots weren't brave enough to go find out for themselves!"  
"Cana!" Erza warned her.  
"Yeah yeah... Lucy, go on!"  
"Ok," the blond said hesitantly, she wasn't really sure if she wanted to read this out loud and especially not with Natsu standing so close to her, listening. Why was he still there? Wasn't he supposed to be fighting with Gray or something?  
"The first question is about the - um - size, of the - um - um - thing."  
"Lucy, that's pathetic," Erza scolded. "Just read what it says in the article."  
"Ok. Well, to be more exact, it says: Hi, I am scared that if I sleep with my boyfriend and his really huge thing - see I said the same word! - will stretch me down there so that I'm ruined for any future boyfriend/husband."  
"See, idiots!" Cana laughed and ordered another barrel of beer from Mira.  
"Language, Cana!" Erza said angrily. "And that's not entirely made up, the vagina is a muscle so of course it can be stretched just like any other muscle. However, similarly to all of the other muscles in your body it pulls back to its normal tightness when it's not being used."  
"That -" Lucy said as she read the answer in the article. "That's almost the exact same answer as the article gives. Erza, did you perhaps read this magazine already?"  
"No."  
"I see..."

"So," the pink haired dragon slayer said to the blue exceed who was floating above his head. "Then you could get like cramps or a sore muscle down there? That must hurt!"  
"Aye!"  
"What were you two planning to do?!" Lucy shrieked.  
"Lucy, I wouldn't let those two into my house if I were you," Erza said and put her empty plate on the bar.  
"It's not like I actually let them in, they always break in without permission!"  
"Way to go, Natsu!" Cana laughed and patted the poor, clueless boy's shoulder.  
"Huh?"  
"Cana," the ex-quip mage said seriously. "If Natsu did break into Lucy's house to have a sexual relationship with her I am sure he would be gentle. Even if he is famous for wreaking havoc..."  
"Could we please talk about something else!" Lucy cried.

"Lucy, read the next one please!" Levy said and corrected her glasses.  
"S-sure. Well, the next question is a short one but there's a really long answer. This girl wants to know how she can be sure if she has really lost her virginity."  
"But that's an easy question, right?" the blue haired script mage said with a blush on her cheeks. "The dictionary says that virginity is the lack of having had a, well - intimate - relationship."  
"This requires a change of clothes!" the ex-quip mage said and snapped her fingers. Suddenly she was wrapped in a dazzling light that removed her usual armour, replacing it with a school teacher's uniform and a stick which she flicked like a whip in her palm.  
"Now," the redhead continued. "This is a very serious matter because there really is no good definition of virginity. It's not something that can be measured, weighed or in any other way quantified. It doesn't only apply to women or men. It's not a simple yes or no question."  
"But..." Levy tried to insert when she was instantly interrupted by Erza-sensei.  
"How do you define a sexual relationship, Levy?"  
"A big hairy cock and a wet pussy!" Cana laughed in between drunken hiccups. The second barrel was almost empty by now.  
"So then only straight people can have sex?" Erza asked rhetorically.  
"No," Cana said and grabbed Lucy's breasts with a mischievous grin. "But girls-only is on an entirely different level, right Natsu?"  
"I don't get it," the dragon slayer said unaffected.  
"Let me go!" Lucy whimpered under Cana's firm grip.  
"As I said," Erza continued as if nothing had happened. "There are many people who have regular sex without penetration, should they be defined as virgins? And while we are on the subject of difficult definitions; what is sex? Sexting on the Lacrima-communicator, oral sex, masturbation or penetration with a toy?"  
"You know too much..." Lucy thought, silently. It was Erza after all, you could never be too careful.  
"Sexting huh?" Natsu said to the blue exceed. "Lucy -"  
"Don't even think about it!"

"But what about the - um - membrane," Levy asked nervously.  
"You mean the hymen?" Erza said and flicked her stick.  
"I think she likes it..." Lucy told Happy, motioning towards the whip-like stick.  
"Aye!" the exceed agreed.  
"I've read that - I mean - well..." Levy said but lost her words as her face turned bright red.  
"The hymen is a thin membrane at the opening of the vagina," Erza lectured. "It does not cover the opening, it does not have to be broken and it most certainly does not 'pop'."  
"This is one of those girl things right?" Natsu said with a confused look at Happy.  
"Aye..."  
"You mean you never broke in a girl, Natsu?" Cana smirked at the dragon slayer.  
"No," Happy said. "He breaks into Lucy's place all the time!"  
"Happy!" the stellar spirit mage yelled angrily at the blue exceed. "Come here so I can pull your whiskers off!"  
"Natsu! Please save me!"

"Is it only female mages who have sent in questions?" Mira asked, still as calm as ever.  
"No wait," Lucy said as she scanned the page. "Here's one that could be from a guy: How do I know if she likes what I do or if she's only faking it?"  
"More idiots!" Cana slurred while leaning on Lucy's shoulder.  
"That doesn't have to be a guy," Levy pointed out.  
"Very true," Erza said.  
"Why would you fake liking something?" the pink haired dragon slayer asked to no-one in particular.  
"Naaaaaaaw!" Cana, Mira and Erza all said at the same time.  
"You should really keep this one, Lucy!" Cana said with a drunken smile, pointing her thumb in the direction of the dragon slayer.  
"We're not a couple!" Lucy yelled.  
"Hey!" Natsu screamed. "Don't talk about me like I'm not here! And what's the answer?"  
"You really wanna know this one right, Natsu?" Mira smiled mischievously.  
"Well..." the dragon slayer said and - blushed? No, that was probably just Lucy's imagination, the dragon slayer didn't blush, ever. "If I don't like something I don't do it, like riding a train or a car or a boat."  
"What if that boat was filled with some really tasty flames?" Mira pointed out.  
"Oh? Then, maybe, I dunno..."  
"In any case," Erza continued. "What this person hasn't understood is that the most important thing in a relationship, any kind of relationship, is communication. If you don't talk to each other about your likes and dislikes then how are you supposed to trust the other?"  
"Like - dirty talk?" Levy asked while nervously putting the tips of her index fingers together.  
"Oooo!" Cana said and turned to the script mage with a crooked smile. "You like that don't you?"  
"Dirty talk?" Natsu looked questioningly at the exceed. "They mean talking about dirty stuff? Like dirty dishes, dirty clothes and Lucy's kitchen?"  
"Hey! My kitchen's not that dirty! Take a look at your own place once in a while will you!"  
"Haha!" Cana chuckled. "No, Natsu, this is dirty talk..." And she leaned over to whisper something in Natsu's ear.  
The dragon slayer gasped and like the liquid rising in a thermometer, his face turned bright red.

"Why would you want to do that?!" he looked with disgust at the card wielding mage.  
"Natsu, what did she say?" the blue exceed asked worriedly.  
"S-she..."  
"I hope your reaction to Lucy's sweet talk is better than this," Cana laughed and put her hands at her waist.  
"Hey wait!" the blond shouted.  
"Next question!" Erza demanded and took the magazine from Lucy's hands.  
"What does it say?" the script mage asked curiously.  
"How do I make my first time special?" the ex-quip mage read. "I'm not too happy with this answer, maybe I should write a notice for the next magazine..."  
"You mean send in a note?" Lucy asked while eyeing the redhead suspiciously. Maybe the reason why she knew the exact answers was - "Erza, did you have anything to do with this article?"  
"I wrote it," Titania said simply, still not taking her eyes off the magazine.  
"What!?" the others gasped simultaneously.  
"I wrote it."  
"Yes, we heard you!"  
"Is there something wrong?" the ex-quip mage said and finally looked up. Her eyes were hard and something about her expression made Lucy shiver down her spine.  
"N-no! Of course not!"

"Well then," Erza continued and took out a pen to correct her answer in the magazine while she explained it to the others. "Now, with your first time I'm guessing you mean your first time having penetrative sex? Well, whatever kind of sexual relationship, the hints to give are pretty much the same. Don't expect too much, that's the most important thing to remember. It's your first time so it's going to be something special whatever you do, just make sure to have fun, talk with your partner and be safe."  
"Safe?" the dragon slayer said surprised. "Those things Cana said were pretty - um - disgusting but they didn't sound dangerous?"  
"Use protection," Erza corrected. "Even though it's your first time, sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy are just as naughty and they don't care whether it's your first or one thousandth time."  
"You really know a lot about this, Erza?" the stellar spirit mage said carefully.  
"I have read my fair share of bad romance novels..."  
"Naughty granny-stories," Lucy thought.  
"...to make me doubt the sexual education in this country, so I taught myself and decided to start a column."  
"I hope that self-learning included some practical education?" Cana smirked.  
"Of course!"  
"Wow Erza!" Levy said impressed. "You're so upfront about it! I wish I could be just like that!"  
"So how big was he?" Cana asked and winked at the redhead.  
"Just the size I like it," Erza said and smiled as she remembered that night. "Now, Cana, there's still something I want to try. Would you be willing to..."

Natsu looked at the five girls around him; Mira smiled just as softly as ever, Levy listened carefully, Cana went on with her harsh language while she drank her beer straight from the barrel, Erza lectured with a straight face and once in a while she flicked her wooden whip in her palm. Carefully, the dragon slayer peeked at the blond girl next to him. Her cheeks wore a light pink colour and her mouth hung slightly open. He thought about what Cana had said earlier, if it had been Lucy who had whispered those things in his ear how would he have reacted?  
"You look great in that picture, Lucy" he said to the stellar spirit mage.  
"Huh?" she said and turned to look at him. "Oh, thanks!"  
She couldn't help but smile at him and he returned her smile with an even greater one, showing off his dragon fangs.  
Yes, one day he would want her to whisper those things in his ear.


	2. Chapter 2

The Sorcerer article - Part two

* * *

The sky was a shimmer of orange, pink and blue. Tiny, white clouds floated silently across the colourful canvas and far below, the beautiful picture was mirrored in the still waters of Magnolia's great river.

"Be careful, Lucy-san!" a fisherman in a boat called to the stellar spirit mage who was walking dangerously close to the steep edge of the river.

"Hai hai!" the blond called back and waved one hand to the man.

She stepped away from the edge and continued on a safe distance from the plunging depth next to her.

"Come on, Plue!" she called to the tiny spirit who was trying his best to follow in his master's footsteps.

"I just want to be home..." the celestial mage sighed heavily. "Alone, without people who destroy everything they touch and mess up other people's chances at ever getting any reward money!"

"Pun pun!" Plue agreed, shaking his tiny white head enthusiastically.

"Ever since that article came out Natsu's been even worse, wreaking havoc and setting stuff on fire. Soon I won't be able to pay my rent!" Lucy screamed at no one in particular and waved the key to her apartment.

"If he really needs to blow off some steam that badly, couldn't he just fight with Grey or take on Erza again?!" Lucy thought out loud while she opened the door and climbed the stairs to her home.

"I mean, why does he always have to-"

* * *

"Yo! Lucy!" a familiar grin greeted her as she entered the apartment.

"WHY ARE YOU IN MY HOUSE!" The blond yelled at her partner who sat carelessly drinking tea (her tea) and eating biscuits (her biscuits) in her (!) living room.

The dragon slayer looked down at the blue exceed next to him.

"See, I told you she wouldn't like the surprise!" he said angrily.

"Aye," Happy agreed. "It seems you were right, Natsu. That's a first-"

"What do you mean?!" the dragon slayer roared and stood up abruptly.

"I'm just saying-" the tiny exceed tried to explain but was instantly cut off.

"Are you calling me an idiot!?" Natsu spat and picked up a piece of the strawberry cake that stood on the table.

"Natsu!" Lucy yelled and tried to desperately make her way to where the dragon slayer stood, ready to cover his feline friend in a mix of short bread, whipped cream and strawberries.

"Natsu, please don't throw that-!" the celestial mage repeated, but it was too late. The cake soared through the air and hit the blue exceed's face with a huge splash. Whipped cream covered the floor and Lucy could do nothing but sigh loudly at her two partners as their food fight escalated.

* * *

Suddenly, the doorbell rang and the blond barely managed to dodge a flying strawberry as she turned to open the door.

"Am I late?" a redhead in brightly polished armour asked and stuck out her head to peek past Lucy into the living room. "I heard there was going to be cake..."

"You knew about this?!" Lucy asked, but was completely ignored by the ex-quip mage who had already joined the others in the main room.

"At least she will stop the food fight..." Lucy shrugged and decided to let her partners' misbehaviour go this time; Happy surely wasn't the one to blame and Natsu, well, reckless behaviour was just what you could expect from that boy. Why Erza had decided to join was yet a mystery. Somehow she always managed to magically appear when there was cake involved...

* * *

"Hey Lucy!" a dark female voice called from somewhere inside the apartment. "I'm borrowing one of your nightshirts."

"I think it's in here-" Lucy heard the dragon slayer tell the ex-quip mage and a shiver went down her spine.

"Wait! What?" Lucy yelled and ran panicking into the other room. The thought of that destructive fairy tail trio searching through her drawers was enough to create an instant lump in her throat.

"Is this... nightwear?" Erza asked and held up a baby doll nightgown made out of a very transparent pink fabric that was just enough to cover the celestial mage's most delicate parts.

"Ooo!" the dragon slayer said as he picked something pink and furry out of the drawer. "I didn't know you had these, Lucy! We could've totally used them on our last mission!"

He held the handcuffs in both hands and pulled them apart hard, as if to test their strength.

"That was a gift from Cana, a joke!" the blond explained while the lump in her throat grew bigger every second.

"Lucy, you should carry these with your whip!" the blue exceed suggested enthusiastically. "We could capture bad guys in 'em!"

"Nah," the dragon slayer said as the material melted in his hands. "This ain't strong enough. Her magical whip is probably better then, or some ropes..."

Lucy hit her head against the wall as her oblivious partners continued to misinterpret the intention of Cana's gift. Luckily, the card wielding mage wasn't there to hear the dragon slayer's suggestions. Lucy shuddered to think of the consequences if Cana had been there when Natsu proposed that they test it out on her. Or if Mira had been there when he discussed the best ways of tying someone up...

* * *

"Here's something!" Erza exclaimed after finally finding something in Lucy's drawers that seemed to suit her taste; a white cotton pyjamas with stripes in a pale yellow colour. The redhead swiftly pulled her shining armour off and brushed its front carefully before setting it down gently on the floor. Underneath the cold steel, she wore an armless, black shirt that she pulled off just as quickly.

"Erza!" the blond gasped at the other girl's nakedness.

"What?"

"Y-y-you're... naked..." Lucy half whispered with a quick glance at the pink haired boy in the room.

"Natsu's used to it." Erza stated matter-of-factly and it was true. The boy seemed to be just as unfazed by Titania's bare chest as seeing her squash her enemies in a single strike.

"Maybe you should try it sometime?" Erza told the celestial mage who shock her head violently.

"Nakedness is natural, Lucy" the redhead continued as she put on her borrowed pyjamas. "The fact that we're women doesn't mean we should be forced to cover ourselves up or dress ourselves down just to please the opposite sex."

"Tell the master that..." Lucy muttered to herself.

"I choose my clothes after how practical they are in a certain situation," Erza continued. "If I deemed it most practical and appropriate to walk around Magnolia naked, then I would."

Lucy imagined the redhead strutting around town in her birthday suit and half of the guild nose bleeding to their deaths.

"Like me!" Happy said and smiled brightly. "I'm always naked!"

* * *

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and Lucy was stunned. Who did she know in this town that actually used the door into her apartment? One second later, her question was answered when a half naked boy, in black pants and army boots, entered her bedroom. Apparently, waiting for someone to open the front door was a waste of his time.

"I knew you'd start the party without me." he muttered and unzipped his pants.

"Grey, put your pants back on!" Lucy screamed at the ice mage and covered her eyes.

"When did I-?"

"Lucy, we decided to invite a few of the guild members over for a slumber party." Erza said just as serious as usual, as if it was her decision to make.

"But this is my home! You can't just-"

"Maybe we should have some sake?" the ex-quip mage thought out loud and just as quickly as she'd said the word, there was a knock on the door.

Lucy hurried over to see who was next in line and not surprisingly, she found a brown haired girl, smelling strongly of alcohol, leaning against the door frame.

"There's a cake fight and Erza magically appears, naked people and Grey just happens to drop by, someone mentions sake and Cana's instantly here," Lucy said to herself. "What's next, should I pick up a book to call Levy?"

"Nah," the card wielding mage said. "That bookworm is probably stuck with Gajeel tonight."

"You mean they've gone on a job together?!" Lucy said with a gasp. That was unusual.

"Something like that..." Cana smiled mischievously. "Let's just say he's poking her with his iron rod, if you know what I mean."

"Even Happy would know what you meant..." Lucy sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Jealous much, bunny-girl?" Cana smirked and Lucy flinched at that dreadful nickname. "I bet Natsu would take you on if you asked to play with his fire!"

Lucy couldn't help but laugh at Cana's terrible wordplay.

"Sure," she said with a nod. "He'd say: 'I'm all fired up!' and then punch me unconscious!"

"Don't underestimate our fire dragon." the brunette said and waved a finger as if to stop the blond's nonsense. (Hey, who was the one talking nonsense here!) "He might seem like a dragon, but inside him beats a human heart just like in you and me."

Lucy was struck by the tone of sincerity in Cana's voice just before the change came:

"And in his cock runs human blood, just waiting to be satisfied!"

* * *

"Hey Lucy!" the voice of a certain dragon slayer called from inside the kitchen. The celestial mage was happy to be interrupted but Natsu's tone hinted at a problem and she didn't know which was worst: a sexcrazed brunette or a destructive dragon slayer, unsupervised, in her newly cleaned kitchen?

"What?" Lucy asked as she walked cautiously into the other room, closely followed by the brunette.

"This won't do!" Erza stated with a sigh, motioning towards Lucy's empty bar cupboards. "Grey, go fetch some sake from the guild!"

"But that's on the other side of town!" the ice mage complained.

"Go!"

Lucy was impressed by how terrifying the redhead could be despite her current appearance. The striped pyjamas and fluffy, pink slippers didn't exactly make her look like the skilled ex-quip mage that she normally was.

"Don't worry!" Cana said and waved four bottles of sake, two in each hand. "I brought plenty for all of us!"

"Good thinking, Cana!" Erza cheered and patted the brunette's shoulder so hard that she fell to the floor.

"Now we just need a good drinking game to start this party..." the ex-quip mage muttered and put her chin between her thumb and index finger. She wrinkled her forehead in a deep frown and continued her silent thinking.

"What about the test in the Sorcerer?" the dragon slayer suggested boldly.

Lucy was surprised, Natsu usually hated that magazine since they published stories that put him and his beloved guild in a bad light. But ever since that dreadful article came out he'd been more understanding of the Sorcerer's stories. Maybe he'd finally grasped and accepted the fact that people actually liked to read rumours about powerful mages? (Not including herself in that term.) Or maybe he'd grown enough to appreciate the bold centrefold pictures? Nah, that couldn't be it.

* * *

"So it works like this," Erza explained. "We take turns to complete the sentence 'I have never...' and if you agree to the sentence then you don't have to drink, but if you have done the thing asked for, then you have to drink.

"Seems a bit lame," Grey huffed and crossed his legs where he sat on the sofa, still shirtless. Erza grabbed one of the chairs and Lucy sat down between Cana and Natsu on the bed. Not the best position but Cana had insisted that Lucy sit next to her.

"First question then," Erza said and flipped the pages of the magazine. "I have never slept in the same bed as a person of the opposite sex."

Everyone lifted their glasses and Lucy slowly realised that she would have to drink too. 'That bastard!' She thought as she lifted the glass to her lips. 'Well, he wouldn't have to drink either if he'd never crept into my bed! So, really, the joke's on him!'

She sipped the clear liquid as another thought struck her. Maybe she wasn't the only reason he'd had to drink? Maybe he'd slept with loads of girls before her? Then again, it couldn't be as bad as she was imagining. Erza always said that they used to be just like brother and sister when they were young and that included sleeping together right?

* * *

"Next question, Grey!" Erza demanded and handed the magazine to the ice mage.

"I'm gonna need a refill first," Cana said and held out her glass for the ex-quip mage to refill. Once she was done the brunette continued. "Go on!"

"Oh, this is a good one!" the ice mage said with a smile. "I have never fantasised about a person in this room."

Lucy felt her heart stop. The lump in her throat was back and this time it was so big it stopped her breathing entirely. An ice cold shiver went through her body as if Grey's ice spear had pierced her straight through. Her knees trembled and her hands shook as she reached for her glass. Luckily, she wasn't the only one. Grey sighed and drank the whole glass, Cana did the same thing while eyeing the celestial mage wickedly. Erza sipped an appropriate amount of her drink while Natsu clumsily grabbed his glass and almost spilt it all before he steadied himself and drank the whole thing. Happy was the only one who didn't drink.

"I only fantasise about Carla" he explained. "And fish..."

Lucy swore she could see drool forming in the corners of the exceed's mouth.

"Taaaastyy fiiiish..." Yep, definite drooling.

* * *

"My turn!" Cana said and laughed mischievously as she took the glossy magazine out of Grey's hands. "Now, that should be enough warming-up, let's move on to the more interesting questions."

"Ok," Erza said with a nod.

'No, no, no, no, no!' Lucy thought. She'd already been forced to reveal too much personal information. If this was going to continue she could just grab her diary and read it out loud!

"Then, how about this one," Cana read from the magazine. "I have never masturbated to a picture of someone in the guild."

"Hey!" Grey huffed angrily. "That question's not even in there!"

"No one said it had to be from the magazine!"

"Cana's right," Erza said but at the same time her cheeks turned a bright pink colour.

"Devil woman..." Natsu muttered before joining Grey, Erza and even Cana herself in a drink. Lucy and Happy looked at each other and sighed in relief.

"Lucy," Erza demanded. "You're up!"

* * *

"H-hai!" Lucy said as she received the magazine from Cana. She scanned the two pages filled with questions, searching for something that seemed appropriate and yet not too lame to enrage the crazy, card wielding monster next to her.

'I have never performed on stage, never been in a threesome, never kissed another person...' she read quietly when suddenly, she found the right question! It was not too daring and not too simple. It wouldn't hurt anyone or make them feel ashamed.

"I have never lied to a friend." Lucy said simply.

"White lies or something bigger?" Erza asked while circling the top of her glass with her index finger.

"Like-" Happy said. "Like how we all lie to Lucy when she asks us if she looks fat, or-"

"Happy! You stupid neko!" Lucy hissed and threw herself after the exceed.

"Natsu!" the blue cat cried. "Save me! Save me!"

But the dragon slayer sat still. Not even flinching when the celestial mage, who was chasing his best friend across the room, stumbled and fell straight into his lap.

"Happy! Lucy!" Erza shouted and both troublemakers froze. Lucy carefully crawled out of Natsu's lap and, obeying the redhead's orders, sat down on the bed again.

* * *

"Good, now," Erza said and brushed a runaway feather off her pyjamas. "Back to the game."

"Yeah," Cana said in between two large sips of sake. Apparently she was playing her own round, Lucy thought as the brunette refilled her glass.

"I have a feeling that mr. quiet here has got something juicy to tell!" Cana said with a nod towards the dragon slayer and his, once again, empty glass.

"I guess that makes you the only one who did drink?" the ex-quip mage said with one brow raised questioningly.

"Ooo, you know what that means!" the ice mage cheered. "Story!"

"You have to tell us what happened!" Cana said eagerly.

"No way!" Natsu said and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Come on, Natsu," Erza said. "It's the rules."

"Never!"

Lucy felt so sorry for the poor boy, she really wanted to say something to him. After all, it was her fault that he was being pushed like this and the guilt was already building up in her stomach.

"I'm so sorry, Natsu!" she said but his response surprised her beyond anything.

"No, I'm sorry."

"What?!" Lucy frowned. "Why?" And wait, did the dragon slayer just apologize to her?

"Cause you're the one I lied to," Natsu admitted with a heavy sigh.

"This is gonna be good!" Cana said and went into the kitchen to fetch a bucket of popcorn.

"Hold on!" Lucy said surprised. "When? A-a-and why?"

"You know that time when I was babysitting Asuka and she ordered me to kiss you-"

"WHAT?!" Erza, Cana and Grey all cried at the same time.

"Hihihi, it was sooo good!" Happy giggled and clapped his tiny paws while hearts formed above his head.

"Well, I said it wouldn't be the end of the world," Natsu continued while ignoring the others. "But I really think it would be."

"WHAT?!"

Lucy sat completely still and silent while the others spat at his words. She tried to make sense out of what he was saying but all she could understand from what he'd said was that he didn't want to kiss her. And that the world would end if he did?

* * *

"Natsu that's kinda mean," Grey said while his fingers played awkwardly with the chain around his neck.

Lucy didn't know why, but tears started filling her eyes. However hard she tried to keep them away, those pearls of liquid grief would not stay away and she fought to stop them from falling uncontrollably.

"Lucy..?" Erza asked carefully and sat down next to the blond.

"It's ok!" Lucy said in her cheeriest voice. "It's fine, really."

"Lucy," the blue exceed said apologetically. "I'm sorry that I said you were fat!"

"I'm fine, H-happy," Lucy tried to smile but the corners of her mouth just wouldn't rise high enough and her voice was beginning to crack. "I just-just need some air."

She hurried away from the others, out of the room and out of the apartment where no one could see her tears. Why did it hurt so bad? Why did she even care at all?

"Natsu you idiot!" she mumbled angrily and punched her fist into the wall.

"Aaa!" she screamed in pain and shook her hand. "That hurts..."

But somehow the pain in her hand numbed the pain inside and she hit the wall again, this time harder than the first.

"Baka!" Punch. "Weirdo!" Punch. "Flame brain!"

"Oi!"

* * *

Suddenly a powerful hand grabbed her fist just as she was about to hit the wall for the zillionth time.

"If you wanna break it that badly then maybe I can help?" he said and smiled his usual fanged grin.

Lucy ignored his try at comedy and leaned against the wall.

"Are you sure you should be out here with me?" she said with an annoyed huff. "Maybe the world will end."

Without warning, the dragon slayer leaned in and put his flaming palms against the wall on either side of Lucy's body. His head was down so she couldn't see his eyes and she instinctively pushed further back against the wall. The flames on his fists turned the bricks into ash and Lucy felt her knees begin to weaken. Her heart was racing uncontrollably and she reached for her keys.

"Lucy, I'm scared." the dragon slayer said suddenly.

"Natsu..." Lucy whispered meekly and exhaled slowly as she let herself relax.

"I'm scared that you wouldn't dare to be with us anymore, that you'd stop being our partner, our friend and nakama."

"Natsu," Lucy told him in a whisper. "I would never-"

"I'm scared that it would be the end," the dragon slayer interrupted her and looked up. His eyes now burned with a fire stronger than anything Lucy'd ever seen. Almost choking on his own words he whispered.

"And still I want it, Luce. I want it so bad."

* * *

Lucy didn't understand. Why could they not be friends anymore? What had she done?

"Why-" she started saying when she suddenly realised something. That day. That almost kiss. She'd stopped him for the exact same reason! She was scared that he'd start feeling differently about her, that he'd not want to be friends anymore and that their partnership would be over.

"That kiss could've been the end of the world..." she whispered and looked up into his dark green eyes.

"Maybe it doesn't have to be." Natsu said and Lucy could have sworn that their noses were almost touching now. She could feel his hot breath against her lips and the warmth from his flaming fists as they formed an intimate prison, holding her hostage in his muscular arms.

"But what if it is?" Lucy said despite the fact that her heart was racing and her breath was speeding out of control. "If it's the end of our friendship?"

"Sure," Natsu said and took a step back. "It could be a terrible mistake."

"Natsu, stop confusing me!"

"Lucy, I wanna kiss you but I'm scared that our friendship would end because of it."

"Me too," Lucy admitted and she could feel her cheeks burning in a bright pink colour.

"Really?" Natsu said, sounding really surprised.

"Really, you idiot!" Lucy said and smiled.

* * *

She didn't know if they would ever kiss, or if they were bound to be forever just friends. But at least now she knew that he too felt the same way, that he too wanted to be more than friends and that he too was scared of what might happen then. She couldn't deny that her whole body had tingled when he pushed her up against the wall. She'd wanted to find out if it was worth risking it all just for the sake of one kiss. But now it was too late.

"You were gone a long time..?" Cana said with a mysterious smile on her face.

"These three are already asleep," she explained and motioned towards the two fairy tail mages and one blue exceed who lay with their arms and legs sprawled across the floor.

"Hey, ice bastard!" Natsu said and poked at the ice mage's face. "Too much sake eh, pervert?"

Lucy wondered if she could bear to be just friends now that she knew the truth?

"Look at me!" Natsu called to the others and held up Happy in front of his face. "I've got a cat face, Lucy, a cat face, get it?"

"Natsu, that's not even a thing." Lucy smiled at the weirdness of her partner.

"But it means a cute face!" Natsu continued.

"No, it doesn't." Cana and Lucy both told him.

"Carla's got a cute cat face..." the blue exceed mumbled in his sleep and the others laughed.

'Well,' Lucy thought as she watched her partner joking around, drawing crazy moustaches on his sleeping friends and arguing with Cana over who was the strongest mage in the guild. 'Whatever happens I know that it will be perfect, just as long as we're together.'


	3. Chapter 3

The Sorcerer article - Part three

* * *

"Lucy, I wanna kiss you but I'm scared that our friendship would end because of it." Natsu felt his entire face burning. He'd done it! He'd actually done it! He'd told her about his most secret desire and the fear connected to it.

"Me too," the blond said, her voice was no more than a whisper but it was enough to reach the dragon slayer's sensitive ears.

"Really?" Natsu said, his astonishment clearly audible in his voice.

"Really, you idiot!" Lucy said with a smile.

* * *

The rest of the night Natsu couldn't think about anything else. He tried to get Lucy's confession out of his mind but nothing he did seemed to work. He tried not to think about her plump, pink lips as he doodled funny mustaches on Grey's face, he tried not to think about her cute, blushing cheeks as Cana smeared red wine all over her face and he tried not to think about her gorgeous body in that polka dot bikini she wore in the Sorcerer article, when she emerged from the bathroom wearing her white pajamas with the little pink hearts on it.

"Lucy," he whispered quietly. The others were already fast asleep but it didn't hurt to be extra cautious when Erza was in the room.

"Huh?" the blond said and turned around to face him as she lay in her bed. "What is it Natsu?"

Oh no! The sake must've gone to his head. What was he gonna say? 'Quick!' the dragon slayer thought to himself. 'Make something up! Anything!'

"Do you have any food?" he asked, grinning at her as she sighed heavily.

"Seriously Natsu," she muttered and sat up. "We just ate!"

She stood up and walked over to the kitchen area, closely followed by the pink haired boy.

"Sometimes I really don't get how you can eat like that and still look the way you do!" she said while eyeing him up and down jealously. Suddenly she turned her face away and focused on the kitchen cupboards instead.

'Is she... blushing?' Natsu thought as he saw her cheeks turn a light pink colour. He felt his own mind wander as the celestial mage bent down on all four to reach for something at the very back of the cupboard. Her tiny, cotton shorts barely covered her generous behind and those red satin panties that she'd worn on the first day they met, were now clearly visible. Cana's words echoed in his head and he turned his face up to stare at the ceiling. His cheeks blushed deeply, matching his spiky, pink hair and something made his stomach twist. He felt an ache in his groin and hurried to think of things that would cool him down.

'Happy's raw fish stew,' he thought to himself while squeezing his eyes shut. 'Grey's know-it-all-face, Master's naked butt, Erza's scary face, trains, boats, horse carriages, transportation, transportation, transportation...'

"Natsu?"

He opened his eyes to look at the blond in front of him. She had a questioning expression on her face and a bag of chips in her right hand.

"Thanks Lucy!" he said with a bright smile as he grabbed the bag from her hands and started munching on the delicious potato crisps.

* * *

"You're welcome," she said with a sigh and turned to walk back to her bed. Sleep was weighing heavy on her eyelids and she really didn't have the energy for any more of the dragon slayer's drunken pranks. She felt like laying down right there, on the floor, and closing her eyes, but the part of her brain that was still conscious told her it was a bad idea.

"Wait!" the dragon slayer called after her, his cheeks now covered in crumbles.

"Don't you want some?" he asked and she turned around to look at him.

"No thanks." she said and waved her hand at his offer.

"I'm sure you'd think it was very good," he said in a musing voice, stepping closer to her. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and smiled mischievously.

"That's ok, Natsu," the celestial mage told him with a tired smile. "I'm not hungry."

"Come on just try it," he said and Lucy turned around once again. Was he still talking about the crisps or did he mean something else?

"You know it will be worth it," he said and smiled wickedly at her, showing off his glistening dragon fangs. He was really close to her now. Lucy could feel his hot breath on her face and her heart jumped. Had he changed his mind? Was this it? Was he going to-?

"Just one taste..." the dragon slayer whispered as he reached out his hand towards her. Gently, he put his warm hand on her cheek and stroked her soft skin down to her chin. Lucy felt her body tingle at his touch, like small jolts of electricity between his hand and her cheek. With one finger he lifted her chin and Lucy saw directly into his dark green eyes. The suspense was killing her, couldn't he just kiss her already! She wanted this moment to last forever and at the same time she couldn't wait for it to be over. Finally, he leaned in so close that Lucy could feel his hot breath upon her lips. It was filled with the same heat that radiated off of his body, throwing her in a mind numbing state of bliss.

"Natsu..." Lucy whispered and closed her eyes in anticipation.

"Lucy..."

* * *

"Natsu? Lucy?" a dark female voice called from the doorway. "What are you doing?"

Both partners jumped at the sound of Erza's stern voice.

"Lucy, you should really try one of these crisps!" the dragon slayer chimed and pushed a handful of fried potatoes into her face.

"Natsu, stop it!" the celestial mage complained. "I told you I'm not hungry!"

"N-n-n-natsu..." the red head stuttered, clenching the doorframe so hard that marks from her fingers were beginning to form in the wood.

"Oi, what's going on?" the ice mage asked sleepily, rubbing his tired eyes as he appeared in the door next to Erza.

"Are we interrupting sssssomething?" Cana slurred, apparently still drunk, as she leaned against the doorframe.

"Not at all!" Lucy said with a slight hint of panic in her voice. "We were just- just-"

"Hey, Natsu," the card wielding mage said and poked the dragon slayer in his chest. "Did you tell her what I told you, huh? Did it work? Did it fire her up?"

"Ew, flame-brain!" Grey said in disgust. "We were just in the other room! Keep it in your pants 'till we're gone, will ya!"

"You're one to speak, slanty-eyes!" Natsu yelled at the, now completely naked, man.

"When did I-?!" the ice mage stuttered and grabbed one of Lucy's kitchen towels to cover himself with. "Lucy, I'm borrowing this!"

"Hey!" the celestial mage yelled angrily back at him, but as the raven haired young man wrapped the towel around his hips she sighed. "Just keep it... I really, really, don't want it back."

"Grey, you baka!" the redhead scolded and in the blink of an eye she exchanged her pajamas for a shining armor with a golden Hearts Kreuz emblem. "Don't you know not to steal from your host, huh!?"

"Go Erza!" Cana laughed and sat down on the kitchen table.

"And Cana," the redhead said darkly, turning to face the card wielding mage. "Stop interrupting people and barging in on them without knocking!"

"Does she mean us or is this something personal?" Lucy asked quietly to the yawning, blue exceed who had just appeared next to her.

"I think it's a bit of both," Happy said with a tired smile. "Mira told me that Cana caught Erza and Jellal doing something like dogs in the guild's basement storage."

"L-l-l-like... d-d-d-dogs...?" Lucy mumbled, stuttering and blushing deeply when she understood what Cana had seen. Of course, Happy didn't react the same way, as he most probably had no idea what the drunken brunette had happened upon amongst the stored sake bottles and beer barrels in the guild's basement.

"Lucy, your nose is bleeding," Natsu said, waking the blond from her frozen state of paralysis. "What are you thinking of, you weirdo?

Just as Lucy was about to respond, one of the kitchen chairs came flying her way and exploded right before her eyes as the fire dragon slayer's flaming roar hit it.

"Watch where you're throwing, ice-brain!" Natsu yelled at the ice mage and in an instant, complete chaos had broken out. Cradling her knees, Lucy hid beneath the kitchen sink together with the tiny, blue exceed and the two watched as their friends punched each other into an almost unrecognizable state. When all seemed peaceful once again, the celestial mage climbed out of her hiding place. With one last look at the sleeping dragon slayer she walked back into her bedroom and fell asleep instantaneously.

* * *

"Good morning Lucy!" the white haired barmaid greeted her happily as she walked into the guild and sat down on one of the bar stools at the front.

"Quiet, please..." the blond whined and leaned her head against the wooden counter.

"Ora ora," the beautiful demon behind the bar sighed and looked carefully at the celestial mage in front of her. "Rough night, yesterday?"

"Why does this always happen to me!?" Lucy whispered angrily and slammed her head against the bar. The movement made her head spin and she had to stop before she'd vomit all over the guild.

"I don't think they mean to upset you," the barmaid said with a warm smile. "They're your friends and they just want to spend time with you."

Lucy flinched as Mira said the word friends. Yes they were her friends but for how much longer? What would happen if she and Natsu broke up, who's friends would they be then? Wait, break up? They weren't even together yet!

"Here you go!" Mira smiled as she held out a glass of her magic hangover elixir to the blond. "I hope you'll feel better soon!"

Lucy gulped down the thick, green liquid and felt it regenerate her body from top to toe. Like a river of flowing energy, the drink filled her veins and boosted her mind.

"Now, then," Mira smiled mischievously as she leaned over to whisper in Lucy's ear. "Have you read the latest news?"

"What news?" Lucy asked excitedly. She loved Mira's gossip, just as long as it didn't concern her.

"Oh, you're gonna love this!" the white haired barmaid said with a happy chuckle and pushed a copy of the latest Sorcerer magazine across the bar. "One of your so-called friends is in it."

"Really?" Lucy said with surprise in her voice. "Who?"

"Read it," Mira instructed and pushed the magazine further towards the celestial mage.

Lucy flipped the pages eagerly until she found what Mira must have been talking about. She gasped and almost fell out of her seat as she saw the familiar grin pictured at the top of the page.

"N-n-n-natsu!"

The dragon slayer wore his usual black vest and loose white pants, not that you noticed since most of the picture was focused around his bare chest and abs that almost seemed to glisten in the flash of the camera. His bright, dragon fangs which normally stood out because of their abnormally white gleam were easily forgotten as the whole picture screamed out sweat, flesh and sex appeal.

"Wh-wh-wh-when did...?" Lucy stuttered as she tore her eyes from the picture to look at the smiling, white haired barmaid. "Wh-wh-wh-what did..?"

"Lucy you're drooling," Mira said with a nod.

"I am not!" the celestial mage argued angrily but at the same time she brushed her bottom lip with her middle finger to check that Mira wasn't in fact telling the truth.

"It seams that Jason's not only good at photographing female nudes," the barmaid said as she picked up a glass that she thought needed polishing. "Maybe next time he could do a couple's picture."

"Mhm," Lucy muttered as she jumped down from her stool. She'd only heard half of Mira's sentence since she'd started reading the dragon slayer's article. "Sounds great Mira..."

Completely caught up in the story, Lucy walked out of the guild with a quick wave to Mira and her nose stuck in the magazine.

"Holy Mavis," the take-over mage muttered and tilted her head in her hand. "That magazine is all kinds of trouble."

* * *

 _Now, fairies, I desperately need your help!_

 _For Lucy and Natsu's sake I really want to continue this story but I don't know if I should go the whole way, so to say ;) Please comment and let me know what you think! Do you want steamy lemons or sweet, cotton candy fluff? No more trolling, Nalu-action coming up!_


	4. Chapter 4

The Sorcerer article - Part four

* * *

Lucy walked all the way to her apartment with her eyes glued to the page of that article. Her heart was beating faster with every step, thoughts rushed by in her head so quickly that she could barely hold them for longer than a second or two and when she finally managed to grasp a thought it was too hot, it steamed and bubbled, wrapped in a raging fire and she had to throw it away.

"Was he always this hot?" the blond muttered to herself, then chuckled at the obvious answer to her question. Of course, he was a fire dragon slayer. Heat was his element.

"Rephrasing that," Lucy said to herself. "Was he always this..."

Her mind thought of a thousand different words to describe her partner but the celestial mage couldn't force herself to say any of them out loud. Sexy, attractive, mouthwatering... She shock her head and finally closed the magazine as she reached her apartment.

'The landlady must be home,' Lucy thought as she turned the door knob without resistance. 'I'll have to sneak in quietly or she'll pester me about rent, again...'

With a heavy sigh she glued her back against the wall and climbed up the stairs on the tips of her toes. Quietly, she inserted the key and turned it. The door opened without a sound and Lucy walked with her eyes carefully searching the hallway as she entered the apartment. Slowly, she closed the door and when there was no longer any danger of the old landlady finding her in the hallway, Lucy rested her forehead against the inside of the door and sighed in relief. A tiny bead of sweat ran down the side of her face and she wiped it away with the back of her hand. After checking once again that the door was firmly closed and securely locked, she turned to face the comforting emptiness of her living room.

* * *

"Good evening, Lucy!" a redhead in a dark blue skirt and white, armless shirt, greeted her. "Tea?"

"Again!?" Lucy screamed at the ex-quip mage and dropped to her knees, unable to stand as all energy washed away from her.

"Well, I thought it appropriate to discuss everything that happened yesterday," the redhead said as she poured herself another cup of tea. "That's why I called this emergency meeting for the Women's club of Fairy tail!"

"There's a club?" Lucy asked and sat down in the chair opposite the redhead.

"Or an association," Erza said thoughtfully, "I haven't decided which sounds better yet."

"I see," Lucy muttered as she reached for the kettle on the living room table. Suddenly she realized that they weren't alone. Levy, Cana and Juvia sat in the sofa, looking just as confused as Lucy felt. Mira and Lisanna sat on two kitchen chairs next to each other and Wendy sat on the floor in front of them with Carla in her lap.

"Lu-chan, I promise," Levy said with a slight hint of panic in her voice. "This was not my idea!"

"Of course not, Levy," Mira assured the script mage with a gentle smile. "We all want to know what you did yesterday, just as much as we want to know what happened to Lucy and Natsu."

The two bookworms stared at each other, then at the others, then back again at each other.

"Y-y-y-you first, Lu-chan," Levy stuttered and her cheeks flushed violently pink.

"N-n-no, Levy-chan," the celestial mage said and waved her hands in protest. "You go first."

"I-I-I-I insist," the bluenette said in a shaky voice as the colour on her face darkened every second.

Lucy sighed and decided to offer herself up in order to save her best friend.

"Well, you guys already know what happened yesterday."

"Not me!" Lisanna said quickly, then realized the eagerness in her voice and put on a weak smile to cover up the damage.

"We don't know the juicy details of what happened outside," Cana said with a wicked grin. "Did he push you down and force himself upon you like a true man?!" Somewhere in the distance Lucy thought she heard Elfman sneeze.

"Cana!" all the other girls gasped.

"Watch your language!" Carla reminded the card wielding mage with a gesture towards Wendy. "There are kids here!"

"Cana, I know that boy can be a bit destructive and he never thinks before he acts," Lisanna told the brunette sternly. "But he'd never hurt a friend!"

"All men are pigs when it comes down to it," Cana said to the young take-over mage.

"That's because you make them such," Erza told the brunette. "If we teach our young mages that 'boys will be boys' and that forcing another person is what's considered 'sexy' then of course they will act upon what they're taught."

"Fine, fine," Cana said and emptied her cup in one go. "I guess masochism is not for everyone."

Lucy wondered when the card wielding mage had switched the contents of her cup to something other than tea. Her breath was already starting to smell like sake and alcohol.

"Consent isn't optional," Erza told the brunette in a hard voice. "No matter your sexual preferences. Even if you like being treated in a specific way, forcing your passion on someone who's not willing to accept it is just as absurd as me forcing this tea down your throat when you obviously prefer something else."

* * *

"So, Lucy," Mira continued lightly as if none of the previous words had been spoken. "What happened outside?"

"Well," Lucy said hesitantly. "You see..."

"Out with it!" Erza ordered and the celestial mage jumped in her seat at the hardness of the ex-quip mage's voice. In fear, she blurted out her words and the sentence that came out was nothing like what she had imagined in her head.

"He said that he liked me and that we wouldn't be friends!"

"What!?" the others said and the shocked expressions on their faces revealed what they were all thinking.

"I mean," Lucy tried to explain. "We both said that we wanted to be together but it's too dangerous and I don't wanna lose him."

Most of the women broke out in sighs and Mira clasped her hands over mouth. Cana and Erza were the only two who reacted differently; Cana looked mostly disgusted at the cuteness of it all and Erza seemed lost in shock.

"No more love rival for Juvia!" the water mage cheered and tears of joy streamed from her eyes.

Lisanna's smile seemed warm and genuine, just like her older sister's. Levy held her hands to her chest and sighed dreamily.

"Did you kiss?" the tiny wind dragon slayer asked with sparkly eyes, as big and round as the tea cup in her hands.

"No," the blond said truthfully. "Erza interrupted us."

"Then you're going to?!" Wendy continued with a large amount of obvious eagerness in her voice.

"I hope so..." Lucy said and looked down at her hands, nervously fidgeting with the tip of her index finger. She felt her cheeks burn and imagined she must be blushing a darker shade of pink than the colour of her guild mark by now.

Lisanna was the first to squeal in delight and threw herself over the celestial mage, hugging her closely.

"We will be like sisters!" she said with a smile that reached from ear to ear.

"Huh?" Lucy considered this but couldn't understand what the take-over mage meant.

"Well, Natsu and me are like sister and brother so you'll be like my sister-in-law!"

"Huh!?" the blond gasped and panic flashed across her face.

"Now, now Lisanna," the older take-over mage said as she carefully tore her younger sister from the stunned celestial mage. "We are all part of a bigger family in our guild. Even if Natsu and Lucy did become an item I doubt that it would really change anything."

"Except they'd be snogging in the storage room," Cana said with a wink at the celestial mage.

"True," Mira said with a smile.

* * *

As she struggled with her sister, Mira caught a glimpse of the magazine which Lucy was still holding in her hand.

"I see," the white haired demon said with a warm smile as she sat down once again in her chair. "Did you read it all?"

"I tried to..." Lucy said weakly, carefully hiding the fact that she hadn't been able to read a single word since she'd been too caught up in the extravagant picture of her best friend to actually read the story.

"Oh, Juvia read that!" the water mage said enthusiastically. "It was really cute! Juvia wishes that Grey-sama would speak of her like that!"

"What does it say?" Wendy asked curiously and rose up on her knees to catch a glimpse of the magazine in Lucy's hands.

"It's all about Lucy," Erza said and magically pulled out another copy of the magazine from the inside of her boot.

"Another article about me?" Lucy wondered out loud.

"Yes," Mira told her. "But this time, Natsu wrote it all."

"You mean Natsu actually wrote an article!?" the celestial mage said in shock. "He can barely even spell his own name!"

"Oi!" Erza said with darkness in her voice, her eyes turned suddenly black and steam rose from her skin. "I helped teach him how to write, are you saying there's something wrong with my style of writing!?"

"N-n-n-no!" Lucy whimpered in fear of the ex-quip mage. "Nothing wrong at all!"

"Well then," Erza said, her voice now back to normal. "How about I read it to you?"

"Yes, please!" Wendy said eagerly but the white exceed by her side seemed to differ.

"Wendy, that magazine is famous for twisting people's words and only using the most provoking sentences in order to increase the number of their readers."

"Tsk, I agree," Cana said drunkenly, now on her fifth cup of whatever she was drinking. "That article is nothing but sticky, cotton candy fluff and butterflies-in-your-stomach stories. I wanna hear about Levy's night instead. That's bound to have a bit more steel in it!"

"Right!" Erza said sternly and turned to the solid script mage. "Where were you yesterday?"

Now, it was Levy's time to blush and the colour on her cheeks turned from a light pink to rosy red, until it finally settled on a blazing, dark scarlet.

"W-w-we went f-f-for ic-c-ce cream..."

* * *

Swiftly, he jumped up on the ledge and leaned against the brick wall. Her window was closed but that had never stopped him before. Just as he was about to crash through the glass, he heard a tiny voice.

"Did you kiss?" the voice asked eagerly and Natsu could feel the tension from inside spread to where he was sitting on the windowsill. He knew that voice, Wendy. What was she doing in Lucy's apartment?

Just as he decided that he could burst into Lucy's home even if Wendy and Carla was there, he heard a second voice.

"No," Lucy's voice said and the dragon slayer caught the sadness and determination in her words. "Erza interrupted us."

He instantly knew what she was talking about. Last night, that second almost kiss when Erza had walked in and ruined it all.

"Then you're going to?!" Wendy's voice said and Natsu braced himself for the answer.

"I hope so..."

In the blink of an eye, the fire dragon slayer was laying on the ground, his heart practically beating out of his chest and his mind filling up with a fog stickier than glutinous rice. He couldn't hear any more of their conversation and found himself unable to even move, until a dark shadow appeared and kicked him nonchalantly in the side.

"Hey, flame brain!" the iron dragon slayer said with one brow raised questioningly. "Whatcha doin' here?"

"I could ask you the same thing!" Natsu challenged the other dragon slayer and jumped up to stand on high alert with his fists raised threateningly.

"How 'bout you mind your own business, pyromaniac!" Gajeel hissed at him.

"What the hell!" Natsu raged and his fists lit on fire. "You're the one stalking outside your fellow guild member's house!"

"You were here first!"

"I am her partner!"

"Oh, I see," the dark haired man said with a twisted smirk on his face. "Now, I thought you might be a little bit more than that, pervert!"

"You wanna fight!?"

"Sure, come at me!"

"I'm all fired up!"

* * *

"Natsu! Gajeel!" a voice so hard it could cut through steel shouted at them from above.

"Aye!" both dragon slayers chimed and hugged each other like two best friends. Both were covered in cuts and bruises, Natsu with a terrible slash across his chest and Gajeeel with blood running down his forehead.

"Why are you both hiding outside of Lucy's apartment?"

"He was here first!" the iron dragon slayer said and pointed at the other man. "I just came by to pick up Levy!"

"It's ok Erza," the solid script mage said and put a gentle hand on the redhead's shoulder. "I asked him to follow me home. I guess it's time to leave then, right?"

"I see," the ex-quip mage said shortly. "Then we will leave with you guys."

"Erza, I think they can walk by themselves," Mira said with a smile. "And besides, I thought you wanted to stop by Sugar Cube Corner to buy a late night snack on your way home, Levy is obviously going in the opposite direction."

"That settles it then," Erza said, her face was burning dark red but otherwise she seemed to be ignoring the fact that Levy wasn't planing on going back to her own place for the night. "We will depart now. Lucy, take care of Natsu's wounds."

"Why me!?" the celestial mage asked with wide eyes and her mouth hanging open.

"Because he's terribly hurt and your place is the closest," Erza said and Lucy found she couldn't argue with that.

"I'm fine!" the dragon slayer pouted and crossed his arms, but whimpered and removed them again quickly once his hands touched upon the deep, bloody slash across his chest.

"Then why can't you all stay?" Lucy asked in a high pitched voice, her cheeks burning and her knees trembling underneath her. She was beginning to panic but none of the others seemed to notice.

"Because it's so much more fun this way!" Cana said with a mischievous smile as she brushed Lucy's chin on her way out of the door. Soon, they had all gone and Lucy was left feeling utterly alone in her usually very rowdy apartment. She stuck her head out her window and found the dragon slayer right under it.

"Hi, Lucy," he said with his fanged grin plastered across his face as he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

"Oh alright," the celestial mage said with a sigh of surrender. "I guess you could sleep on the floor. The floor Natsu, do you hear me!"

"I got it, I got it!" the dragon slayer said and prepared to jump. In an instant he was sitting on her windowsill again and she was standing mere centimeters away from him. The sudden closeness froze all of his movements and he couldn't get away nor could he get any closer. Her presence was all that his mind could master as the sweet smell of her body washed over him and found its way up his sensitive nostrils. Caught in the moment, he heard her heart beat faster, saw her tongue flick across her lips and felt her body temperature rise, all in the blink of an eye before he grabbed her neck and smashed his lips upon hers.

* * *

 _Thanks for all the feedback on the last chapter! I hope this was embarrassingly fluffy enough to partially satisfy our growing need of something more "mouthwatering"._


	5. Chapter 45

The Sorcerer article - Part 4.5

* * *

 _This part is a short side-story from Wendy's point of view as she can't control her curiosity and reads the Sorcerer's interview of her beloved big brother figure; Natsu. Because we all want to know what Natsu said in that interview..._

* * *

"Good night Carla!" the blue haired girl said to her friend as she tucked the blanket closer around the little, white exceed's body.

"Good night Wendy," the exceed whispered, already half asleep and soon snoring off into her very own world of dreams.

"Now then..." Wendy said to herself and picked up the glossy magazine hidden under her pillow. "Time to find out what they're all talking about!"

Using the light from her healing magic she scanned the list of contents on the first page and found just what she was looking for, an exclusive interview with Fairy tail's own Salamander. Quickly, she flipped the pages until she landed on the right one. It was easy to find since it had a large picture of her beloved friend at the top of the page. Beneath the picture, a text said "Fairy tail's Salamander reveals it all!" in flaming, bright yellow letters.

Wendy continued to read the text under the title but nothing seemed odd or made up, perhaps a bit exaggerated but nothing more than that.

"Fairy tail's Salamander," Wendy read quietly. "Otherwise known as Natsu Dragneel, is the scorching hot fire dragon slayer who stole our hearts at the Grand Magic Games and he's currently the number one topic on everybody's lips. With a flaming temper and destructive mind he's not an easy catch, but Sorcerer Weekly managed to get an exclusive interview with the fire dragon slayer in which he reveals it all!"

Wendy jumped to the short-answer questions to read what Natsu himself had told the interviewer.

"Hair: ehm, pink. Eyes: dark I guess. Hobbies: fighting, eating, sleeping, sneaking into Lucy's house, playing pranks on Lucy, eating in Lucy's kitchen..."

The wind dragon slayer chuckled and skipped to the more detailed questions.

"A lot of your hobbies include your cool partner Lucy Heartfilia, could you tell us more about that?"

"Sure, well, she's my friend. She's really strong and she can be really scary, not Erza scary, but still, really scary. She gets this dark look in her eyes, just for a little while, and then she smiles again and you know she's forgiven you. She loves Fairy tail and she'd do anything for her friends and her spirits."

"Cool! Now, some sources tell us that you two have a very intimate relationship. Would you like to comment on that?"

"Inti- what?"

"Close."

"Oh, yeah, well we can't always be close 'cause, you know, we live in different parts of Magnolia. But I like to stay at her place as often as possible, just so I can mess with her. She looks really funny when I do that, she gets this weird look on her face and when she screams-"

"Cool! Natsu-kun, tell us what you and Lucy-san do when you're not working together."

"We eat... and sleep... Oh and last week we went to a bathhouse together!"

"So cool!"

"Yeah, it was ok."

"Could you recommend any of your favorite dating places?"

"Huh?"

"Where do you go for really special dates?"

"Dates? With Lucy?"

"Yeah."

"I guess she'd like to see the royal library. She's never been there, it's a really boring place, but she loves books. And they have this little coffee shop in the back that most people don't know about but I found it with this -points to his nose- and they sell the best fire candy in Fiore!"

"Cool! One last question then, what is your favorite memory of Lucy-san?"

"Last question? Hey! Why are none of the questions about fighting?!"

"They're not cool."

"You bast-"

End of interview.

Wendy smiled to herself as she fell asleep, still holding the magazine. 'Lucy-san is really lucky to have found such a good partner,' the wind dragon slayer thought just before sleep washed over her and drowned all thoughts in a wave of dragon slayer babies that welled up on a shore of flat chests and pickled plums.


	6. Chapter 5

The Sorcerer article - Part 5

* * *

Natsu moaned against her soft lips. He'd imagined this moment a million times in his head but none of them came even close to the real thing. He wanted to pull her closer, to spread her lips and discover her mouth with the tip of his tongue, to taste her breath and swallow her soul. He wanted to touch her body, experience her moans and trembles, feel her heat and her passion. He wanted this moment to be just like in his dreams, or possibly even better. He wanted to be closer to her, closer and closer until they were one. He remembered what Cana had told him, he thought of what Grey and the other guys had said at the bathhouse but this feeling right now was so much stronger than anything he'd ever imagined.

* * *

 _Flashback_

* * *

"Your dragon instincts will make it impossible for you to stop yourself flame brain," the iron dragon slayer told him as he stepped into the steaming hot water of the outdoor bath. "Sooner or later it will happen, so why not make it sooner and get it over with!"

"I bet even an idiot like you could make her happy," Grey said with a smirk. "Or you could accidentally hurt her beyond the point of ever falling in love again."

"Love?" Natsu whispered quietly and his cheeks burnt in a bright pink colour. His eyes stayed focused on the rippled water surface in front of him since he did not dare meet the eyes of the other men.

"Listen hothead," Gajeel said sternly, clenching his fist as he hit the water surface in a swift, determined motion. "You choose, either you fuck this girl after you tell her how you feel. Or you wait, you hold out, you keep fighting, until your urges get the better of you and you can't control yourself."

"There must be another way!" Natsu huffed angrily. "What if she doesn't want me like that? What if she says she just wants us to be friends? There must be another way..."

"Sorry," the older dragon slayer said and he actually sounded like he meant it. "I really wish there was, but right now it's just a matter of time, and willpower."

"Oh, I've got all the willpower in the world!" Natsu said and spread his arms wide, the empty space between his hands signifying the amount of said power.

"Natsu," the ice mage said seriously. "I know that your will to protect Lucy is strong and I believe you'll be able to fight this for a really long time, maybe even forever, but I'm not sure Lucy'd want you to."

"What do you mean, ice brain?" the dragon slayer hissed and threw the dark haired man a look of disgust.

"I just think you should tell her how you feel," Grey said with a halfhearted smile. "Best case, she loves you too. Worst case, she just wants to stay friends, you hold out and we kill you before you hurt her."

"Thanks, pervert."

"You're welcome."

Both men crossed their arms and threw dark looks of murderous intent across the pool at each other. The staring intensified as the waters surrounding each mage started to stir. Steam rose around the fire dragon slayer and a layer of ice formed in the waters closest to the ice mage.

"Hey guys!" the iron dragon slayer yelled as he backed away from the pending battle. "Stop it or I'll smash you both into smithereens!"

"You wanna fight, huh!?" the fire mage yelled back at the other dragon slayer and turned to face him. "I'll show you some of that willpower!"

"Oh yeah?" Gajeel shouted back with an evil grin on his face. "Save it for when we come to kill you, tabasco-breath!"

"That's my line, idiot!" Grey yelled as ice spears rose from the water next to him.

"I'm all fired up!" Natsu roared, surrounded by bubbles and steam.

Before any of the three men could make their first move, a shout from the air above stopped them.

"Heavens wheel! Blumenblatt!"

* * *

In less than a second, all three males stood clinging to each other in the middle of the pool. Shaking like leaves on a tree, the trio stared in fear at the red headed female above them.

"Grey!" Erza roared and pointed one third of her swords at the ice mage. "Put on some clothes!"

"This is a bathhouse for fucks sake..." Grey cursed quietly.

"Gajeel!" Erza continued heatedly, not hearing the ice mage. "Bathhouses are meant for relaxation and tranquility, not fighting!"

"Says the girl with one hundred swords pointing right at me..." Gajeel whispered and nudged Natsu's side with his elbow.

"Natsu!" the ex-quip mage yelled before suddenly, her voice dropped to a normal speaking tone and her mouth formed a warm smile. "You have to tell Lucy how you feel. Now, I have the perfect plan on how you should do it!"

"Hey, don't I get a say in this?" Natsu asked and stepped out of the water to meet the descending ex-quip mage who was still in her armour.

"No," Erza said firmly as her feet touched the ground. "The women's club have been discussing this for quite some time now and we've come up with a fool proof plan."

"Fool proof as in... what?" Grey asked as he leaned against the side of the pool leisurely, all traces of ice spears gone.

"Fool proof as in getting-laid-proof!" a drunk Cana yelled from the other side of the plank which separated the men's and women's baths.

"Hang on!" Natsu yelled angrily, his face practically burning up with realization and his cheeks blushing a darker pink than the colour of his hair. "Are the girls on the other side?!"

"Just Cana and me!" Levy's tiny voice called back.

"You there, shrimp?" Gajeel yelled into the air.

"I just said I was, didn't I!" Levy responded irritatedly.

"Oi, shrimp," Gajeel shouted over the plank. "I hear they've got some really good ice cream at this place."

"What-? Oh!" Levy's voice called in surprise. "Yeah, sure, I'll meet you in the reception ok?"

"Five minutes, yeah?"

"Make that three!"

"You really want that ice cream huh, shrimp?" Gajeel called and turned to face the others with a silly grin on his face. "Sorry, gotta go!"

Grey and Natsu looked at each other in surprise as the iron dragon slayer disappeared into the main building.

"I should go too," Erza said absentmindedly. "Loads of planing to do, cake to eat and stories to read. I hear Lucy is almost finished with the latest chapter of her M-rated fiction. Oh, I really wanna know what happened after..."

In one jump the ex-quip mage had crossed the plank and joined Cana on the other side.

"Those two women planing your confession," Grey said with a twisted smile. "This might just end up in complete chaos."

"Greeeeey-samaaaaa..." a silky smooth voice said and the ice mage jumped with a yell of surprise as Juvia's face emerged from the water right next to him.

"I guess I should leave you two alone," Natsu said with an evil grin to the ice mage who was currently being drowned in Juvia's affection.

"Grey-sama is inside Juvia's body!" the water mage wailed with sparkly eyes and the last thing Natsu saw was Grey jumping out of the pool to avoid Juvia's water body.

* * *

As he lay alone on his bed, the dragon slayer couldn't help but think about the celestial mage and how comfortable her bed was. This one did not have her warmth or the smell of her body. He made a grimace, then thought that if he focused really hard he could probably smell her sweet scent since she was in fact just a couple doors down the hall. Closing his eyes tightly he blocked out all other senses and tried to find that familiar scent. At first, all he could find was a slightly herbal scent from the spa department and some yummy odors from the kitchen. But then he sensed it, that sweet aroma which seemed to radiate off of her body, sending shivers down his spine every time he felt it. This time was no different and once again it stirred up other thoughts concerning the celestial mage, thoughts that had occurred more often now after that damned article in the Sorcerer. It all escalated when he pulled out the picture which he'd been keeping hidden on the inside of his scaly, white scarf. It instantly sent shivers through his body and made his loins ache. He felt the blood rush through his veins until a very obvious tent was raised under his moist towel. With an annoyed sigh he turned to lay on his side, leaving the wrinkled picture of his partner on the bedside table behind his back.

"She's your friend," he said to himself. "You would never hurt your friend!"

A hazy image of Lucy flashed across his mind. She was on her knees with her hands tied behind her back, screaming his name.

"No!" he yelled at the image but his voice came out raspy and dark. "I'd never hurt her! I don't want to!"

Cradling his knees he shook his head and the image changed. Now, all he could see was himself, standing alone outside the guild. He wanted to go inside but he couldn't. 'Why can't I go inside?'

Suddenly, he spotted a group of people huddling close to a huge rock just outside of the guild. He walked over to see what all the fuss was about.

"What's going on?" he asked but no one seemed to hear him. "Hey! Tell me!"

He could see Juvia leaning on Grey's shoulder, Levy crying into Gajeel's chest, Mira and Lisanna shedding crocodile tears together with Elfman. Even Erza seemed to be crying. And then there was Lucy. The celestial mage wasn't crying, instead her face was pale, her eyes dark and sunken. 'What happened to her?'

"Oi," Natsu said and walked through the group to get their attention. "What the hell's happening!?"

"Lucy, it was the only way," Grey said, completely ignoring the dragon slayer. "I'm sorry but we couldn't stop him."

"Who?!" Natsu asked the ice mage irritatedly.

"Lucy, we had to protect you!" Erza said and walked right through Natsu as easy as if he'd been made of smoke.

"But you didn't have to kill him!" Lucy yelled and ran from the others, sobbing quietly without tears.

That's when Natsu saw it, in the rock was his name, carved with minute detail into the hard stone.

With a jolt he woke up. His breathing was heavy and his body was covered in sweat. He must have lit on fire during his short sleep because the uncomfortable bed was no more than cinders now and the flames had reached the hallway, destroying all in its path.

"Hey, Erza!" Lucy's voice called outside. "Are you ok?"

"I will kill that boy!" Erza's voice answered murderously but the dragon slayer didn't even flinch at the ex-quip mage's voice.

'Was that it?' he thought as he put on his seemingly flame proof, white pants and black vest. 'Were those the only two options he had? To lose control over his need of her and hurt her in ways he could never, in his sane mind, ever imagine. Or to fight his need until he turned mad and lost her friendship forever?'

"No," he told himself. "I won't hurt her."

But whatever he said and no matter how hard he tried to convince himself otherwise, this seemed to be the beginning of the end of the world.

* * *

 _End of flashback_

* * *

 _Wow. Even I am surprised! Where did that come from?_

 _So, this happens between chapters 1 and 2. The reason for why it doesn't appear until now is that I thought we needed to see more stuff from Natsu's pov. There's been a lot of Lucy's thoughts and worries but I think that Natsu would have equally or even more troubling problems to deal with when falling in love... Now, hopefully, it's also easier to understand Natsu's hesitations in the previous chapters._

 _Also, I don't think we could've handled all of this after chapter one. See how it's been building up, becoming more intense towards the end? Mixing the comical side with the serious side of FT is reeeeeally difficult but I hope I got it right._

 _Please comment and let me know what you think, I love all of your comments! In the meantime I'll be working on a yummy next chapter!_


	7. Chapter 6

The Sorcerer article - Part 6

* * *

 _Warning! This chapter contains very adult themes._

 _Read on your own risk and don't say I didn't warn you!_

* * *

His lips were soft to the touch but their movements were rough, greedy with passion and desire. His right hand had quickly grabbed her neck and was now tangling itself into her blond locks. The intensity of the kiss was building up and before Lucy knew it she was parting her lips and reaching out her tongue into his warm mouth. His left hand grabbed her waist and forcefully pulled her closer to him. When their bodies slammed together, the first thing she felt was her own heart beating out of control. She reached up and pulled at his pink spikes to deepen their kiss when suddenly she felt a different kind of throbbing. Like a pulsating rod, his member pushed against her lower stomach, sending an instant ache to her loins. She felt her face heat up at the realization of how intimately close their bodies were and she squeezed her eyes shut tighter. A soft moan escaped her lips and echoed in his mouth. He grunted back and the sound vibrated all over her body. She felt like she'd been electrocuted with one of Laxus' lightnings and twirled in Aquarius' whirlpool, both at the same time. Her mind was spinning, her whole body trembling under the dragon slayer's fierce touch. Her knees were beginning weaken and she was wobbling of her own weight. Before she fell, Natsu's hand found its way from her waist, along her thigh and down to her knee where he pulled her leg up to straddle his waist. She hooked her feet behind his back and felt his arousal grind against her aching centre as he pulled her into the intimate embrace. His tongue circled hers hungrily, sucking and licking as if to try her taste. Lucy moved her hands from his hair to his neck and down his back. She felt the scar tissues from many battles that covered his skin and the immense heat radiating off of his body. Before she knew it, her back hit something soft and Natsu was laying on top of her, breathing heavily. He'd broken the kiss and was now staring into her hazel brown eyes. His breaths came fast, and the heat brushed against Lucy's face. Her lungs were burning from the lack of oxygen and when she finally managed to draw her first ragged breath, it tasted just like the dragon slayer; of campfires in the late summer night and fire whisky from the highlands.

Suddenly, Lucy didn't know if she should be terrified or anticipative of his next move as she unclasped her feet behind his back to let them rest on either side of his legs on the soft bed. His stare intensified and his dark green eyes bore a secret that threatened to reveal itself any moment.

"Lucy," the dragon slayer said between heavy breaths. His voice seemed ragged and strained, fear mixing in with the many emotions covering his expression.

"Natsu," the celestial mage said weakly, her voice barely audible against the loud beating of her own heart.

"I don't want to hurt you," Natsu said, still breathing as if he'd just run to the guild and back.

"We've been through this Natsu," Lucy said with a gentle smile. "This... us... it won't be the end of the world. You leaving me would be."

"That's not what I meant," the pink haired young man said while looking distantly away from her. His strong arms were pushed against the bed on either side of her head and there was nothing she could do but to lay there and study his features twist to some unknown inner debate.

"It's not like that," the dragon slayer tried to explain, still looking away from her out the open window at the starry night sky. "I'd never leave you, or hurt your feelings intentionally..."

The celestial mage rolled her eyes at that before she let him continue.

"Lucy, I don't want to hurt you."

The seriousness in his voice and apparent fear in the corner of his eyes made the blond flinch.

"What do you mean?"

"Seriously, Lucy, you're the smart one!" he grunted and pushed his right fist against the bed in an attempt to show his irritation. "Do I really need to spell it out for ya'?"

The celestial mage gasped at the harshness of her friend's voice. And despite the dark pit of fear which stirred in the depths of her stomach, she reached out her hand to touch the dragon slayer's cheek.

"Natsu," she said with as much fondness as she could master. "You'd never hurt a friend."

"Luce, I-" finally he looked back at her and his eyes were filled with something that you didn't see a lot in the dragon slayer, a deep sadness and an underlying fear.

"Besides," the blond interrupted him. "I want you, Natsu and I trust you, isn't that enough insurance?"

"I could still hurt you."

"I don't care as long as you stay with me."

"Physically."

"I've lived through worse."

"Please Lucy," he said and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Get away from me."

His words seemed like both a pleading and a threat at the same time.

"Get away from me, hide, and don't let me hurt you!"

"Natsu-" she started but was instantly cut off as his body began to tremble.

"Run!" he gasped as he clutched his chest in pain and exhaled heavily. Puffs of fire were escaping with each breath and Lucy had to cover her face not to get caught in the flames. As he was still on top of her there was no escaping. It all escalated so quickly and when Natsu tore away from her, screaming in pain, she could do nothing but stare in fear as she huddled up against the headboard of her bed. His clenched fists were the first to light up, then it spread along his arms to his torso and out to the rest of his body. The celestial mage's face was beginning to drip in the extreme heat and a pearl of sweat formed on her upper lip as her mouth hung open in shock. Natsu's face was twisted in pain and the flames engulfing him were spreading as the animalistic roar from his mouth increased in strength.

"Natsu..." Lucy whispered but her voice was drowned in her partner's fearful scream and the sound of his flames spreading across her apartment.

"Natsu!" she repeated louder but there was no response from the man whose face now twisted in pain and agony. His flames were slowly moving towards her and soon they licked at her feet hungrily.

"Natsu!" Lucy yelled as she clutched her chest to protect her heart from breaking. She knew it was impossible for a heart to actually break but the sadness and fear that crawled upon her threatened to overthrow all of her senses, making her eyes fill with heavy tears and her throat clog up with a thick lump of despair.

In a moment of saneness, Natsu looked down at the celestial mage and saw the terror in her eyes. Fighting the beast inside, he ground his teeth together and focused all of his energy to overcome it. Lucy watched him struggle and against all better judgement she flung her arms around his burning body.

"Natsu, I love you," she leaned in and whispered in his ear as the tears began streaming from her eyes. "Come back to me... I love you, so please, come back to me."

The dragon slayer opened his eyes and the fire in them dimmed down quickly. The ringing in his head stopped and all the pain was suddenly gone. His flames died out and he was left standing on his knees with the blond embracing him, crying, in the middle of her blackened bed.

"I love you too..." was all he could say before his energy drained from him and he collapsed in her arms.

The last thing he heard before the darkness took him was Lucy's voice, both sobbing and telling him that everything was going to be ok at the same time. That's when his mind shut down.

"It's ok Natsu," the celestial mage repeated over and over. "I'm right here."

She saw his eyes close and felt his body relax as he drifted off into a deep sleep.

"I'll be right here," she assured him. "Waiting for you."

* * *

"Natsu!" a female voice called. Whoever she was she sounded worried.

"Natsu!" the voice repeated and slender arms shook his body in an attempt to wake him up.

"Just a little longer," the dragon slayer hummed and turned to lay on his side.

"Natsu you idiot!" the voice called again but this time all worry was gone and a tone of irritation had replaced it. "You have to get up, we've got that dangerous job to get to today!"

"Huh?" the pink haired young man said as he squinted with one eye and saw the blurry outlines of his blond partner standing above him.

"I've made you breakfast," she said with a gentle smile and as she said the words, Natsu could smell the bacon roasting in the kitchen. "You have to eat a good breakfast if you're gonna beat up those monsters on that dangerous job."

'When did she agree to go on that dangerous mission?' Natsu thought to himself. Lucy hated dangerous missions unless they held a big reward that could be used to pay her rent, and the mission he was thinking of did not contain a great reward.

'And when did she get a new bed?' the dragon slayer thought as he sat up from his sleeping position amongst her soft, pink sheets. Remembering the fire he'd caused last night, the scenario playing out before him right now seemed highly unlikely. New sheets, a smiling carefree Lucy and bacon roasting in the kitchen.

'Maybe I'm dreaming?' he considered as Lucy looked at him, waiting patiently. 'No, it couldn't be a dream, it was too real.'

He reached out his hand to touch the celestial mage's blushed face and the soft skin under his fingertips seemed real enough to him.

"Oh," the blond said surprised. "You want that kind of breakfast?"

"What?" the dragon slayer blinked in astonishment. 'How did she know?'

"Come here my big dragon," the celestial mage said with a mischievous smile and sat down, straddling his lap on the bed. Natsu felt his body heat up in an instant and a carnal desire filled his blood.

"Today I want you inside of me," the young woman whispered longingly into his ear, the breath from her mouth tickling his skin and the tip of her tongue licking at the lobe of his ear.

"Lucy!" he gasped but he couldn't deny that he wanted to fulfill her desire right then and there.

"I want you to fuck me, Natsu," she moaned between soft kisses to his neck while she removed his black vest. "Fuck me so hard that I won't be able to see straight."

"Lucy, I-" he began but was instantly cut off as her hand rubbed against the growing erection in his pants. He growled and closed his eyes in an attempt to keep his saneness.

"Let go," the celestial mage hummed against his chest as she worked her way into his pants and firmly grasped his throbbing cock. "I want you to let go."

"Lucy," he gasped between heavy breaths. "You don't know what your saying! Please stop!"

"That's it," the blond said with a smile as the dragon slayer clenched his teeth.

"I could really hurt you, Lucy!" he said as he felt his mind start to fog, his body writhing under her touch.

"I want you to," the celestial mage said as she rubbed her hand faster, up and down his erect length. "Fuck me, Natsu."

Suddenly, all of the dragon slayer's barriers broke. A fire raged in his stomach and he could no longer stop himself. He just had to have her. With a loud growl he grabbed her waist and pulled her up on her knees, twisting her so that her back was against his front. She purred as his warm hands traced her bare skin up to her covered breasts and down to the wet centre between her thighs. With one hand he burnt away the tiny piece of clothing covering her sex and rubbed his fingers over it, the other hand squeezing her right boob as he nibbled on her neck. Lucy threw her head back and moaned in passion. The sound encouraged him and he used his right hand to push her down on all four. Stroking her back down all the way to the hem of her skirt, he let his hand wander further down, over the dark blue fabric and then up underneath it. Massaging her round buttocks he felt his cock twitch at the smell oozing from her dripping core. Sweet Mavis, there was no way in hell he could stop now! And besides, she'd asked him to do it. Just like Cana had whispered to him on that first day, Lucy had whispered that she wanted him inside of her. Who was he to deny her wishes?

"Please Natsu," the blond in front of him begged. "No more teasing, I can't take it anymore!"

He felt her body tremble and with one hand on her waist, the other holding his throbbing cock, he led himself towards her entrance. As his skin made contact with hers, she pushed her hips against him greedily and he groaned at the touch. Letting his erection rub against her wet folds until he was drenched in her juices he then quickly returned to her entrance. Grasping her waist tightly, he pushed himself in and heard her gasp. It was just his tip but it made her squeal in satisfaction at the feeling of him filling her up. Natsu pushed harder until he was deep inside of her, his balls touching the back of her thighs. The incredible warmth surrounding him was one he'd only felt from his own fire before and it made him curious as to whether or not her centre was hotter the further in he reached. Without thinking he pulled himself out, creating a sloppy sound as his member exited her dripping hole. Then, suddenly, he plunged himself back in, harder and deeper than the first time. Lucy screamed at the sudden intrusion and gasped loudly each time as he started up a rhythm of pounding into her. With his hands on her waist he pulled her deeper in with each thrust, basking in the sounds of her passion. He could see her breasts bounce back and forth in beat with the movement he was making. Greedily, he grabbed one of her breasts and squeezed it hard.

"Natsu," the blond moaned between his heavy poundings. "I'm gonna- I'm-"

Slowing down he leaned in and put his mouth right next to her ear.

"Not yet, Luce," he whispered and he could see the strained expression on her face. Her eyes tightly shut and her mouth hanging open, gasping for air while the sweat ran over her flushed cheeks.

Reaching up again he gradually increased his rhythm until they were both panting heavily. He grabbed her legs and pushed them further apart to get better access into her dripping pussy. She writhed in ecstasy, no longer able to hold back the pending storm and he pounded her harder as she unravelled, screaming, underneath him. As her insides hugged his cock he let go, leaning his head back as he thrashed into her. Ignoring her exhausted squeals and focusing solely on his own release he let out a roar as his insides exploded and he felt the warm liquid flow into her waiting core. Squeezing her walls, the last of his seed spilt out into her and he fell over her back. With his slackening member still inside of her he was overtaken by a sudden darkness as sleep washed over him, blurring out the edges of the room and disintegrating the glowing body of his lover from underneath him.

* * *

He woke up drenched in cold sweat. That dream had been almost too real, fantastic but frightening at the same time.

"It was just a dream," he told himself. "It didn't happen."

Then suddenly, he found himself smiling, proud that he'd been strong enough to stop himself from forcing his love upon the subject of his desire. This meant that he could actually control his inner dragon and, unlike what Gajeel had told him at the spa, he didn't have to do anything unless Lucy really wanted him to. Despite the beast wanting to take hold of him, he could restrain the dragon and protect Lucy from himself.

"I stopped!" he said happily, searching the room for the celestial mage to celebrate with him.

"Sure, I almost exploded in the process," he said with a mischievous grin as he rubbed the back of his head. "But I stopped!"

Once again he looked around for the celestial mage but he couldn't find her anywhere in the rubble of her bedroom. He got up and searched the rest of her apartment but she wasn't there. With heavy steps he wandered back into the bedroom and laid down once again upon the burnt sheets. He pulled the blackened cover over his head and that's when he saw it; the pool of blood covering the centre of the bed.

Quickly, he pushed himself away from the dark red stain. The colour on his face draining with every second and the fear forming a great lump in his throat.

"What did I do?"


	8. Chapter 65

The Sorcerer article - Part 6.5

* * *

Lucy felt her heart beating all the way out into her fingertips. A layer of cold sweat covered her glistening skin and the early morning sunlight danced in her golden locks. 'It would have been a beautiful morning,' she thought as she crossed Magnolia's town square on her way home from the supermarket. 'If it weren't for the beast waiting in my bed...'

She'd left the dragon slayer amongst burnt and bloodied sheets. Somewhat cleaned, his wounds treated with a healing potion and bound in magic bandages after his fight with the iron dragon slayer, Lucy had felt it safe to leave him alone. But now, the further she got from her apartment, the more she doubted her decision.

"Stupid!" she reprimanded herself as she swung the plastic bag in her hand back and forth with increasing speed. "What if he wakes up!"

"What if who wakes up?" a tiny voice echoed from her left and Lucy jumped so high in surprise that she almost fell into the river.

"Happy!" she yelled angrily at the blue exceed. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Are you talking about Natsu?" the winged feline asked and Lucy heard the worry in her friend's voice. Most probably he'd been to the guild looking for Natsu, only to find out that the dragon slayer was hurt and spending the night at her place.

"Yes," the blond told her friend reassuringly. "He's ok but I think he needs more sleep."

"Oh," the blue cat said in disappointment and hung his head.

"Why don't you come with me?" Lucy said with a gentle smile. As much as she wanted to spend more time alone with the dragon slayer, his actions from last night had scared her and she wouldn't mind if Happy tagged along to interrupt any awkward silences with his clueless attitude.

"I can't," Happy said and smiled mischievously as if the reason to why he couldn't come with her was a great secret. "I-I have other things to do!"

"Is that so...?" Lucy said with a suspicious look at the flying cat. "Like what?"

"L-l-l-like eating fish!" Happy said nervously. "And talking to Carla!"

"Spill it, cat!" Lucy hissed at the exceed, but he had already turned to fly away.

"Sorry, Lucy! Gotta go!"

"Happy!"

* * *

Back at the guild, Happy told his friends what he had seen.

"I guess you can't tell from how people look," Erza said thoughtfully as she stared at the ceiling.

"Tell what?" the blue haired script mage asked curiously.

"If they've been fucking," Cana said with a smirk and her third beer bottle already in hand.

"Cana," the redhead scolded. "It's 7 am, and this guild is not your personal liquor storage!"

"Haihai," the brunette said with a nonchalant wave and turned to focus on the wind dragon slayer and young fire mage instead.

"If I can't get those two idiots to hook up then maybe these two young ones would be a good replacement...?" she thought out loud with an evil smirk on her lips.

"Cana!" a white exceed in a soft, pink dress said angrily as she crossed her arms in irritation at the card wielding mage. "Stop that or you'll only scare them off."

"Carla, you look great today!" the blue exceed interrupted happily, with heart shaped eyes and drool dripping from the corner of his mouth. "May I offer you this tasty fish?"

"No," the female exceed said firmly, then softened quickly and added with a smile. "But I'd love some tea."

"Aye!"

* * *

Lucy stared up at her window as thoughts of dragons and princesses, mixed with nervous chills of anticipation and lust, drowned her mind. Suddenly, she shook her head of all fears and slammed her right fist into the open palm of her free hand in a gesture of determination.

"Yosh!" she said and stepped towards the front door.

During her walk back and forth to the supermarket she'd come to realize something. Natsu was scared, maybe even more scared than her, since his problem was something that he couldn't entirely control. So, somehow she had to let him know that she truly wanted to be with him. She had to let him know that she would accept him, all of him, even his problems and sufferings. She had to be direct and speak openly to the dense dragon slayer about what she wanted, encourage him and make him understand that this was her choice too. She was strong and she didn't want people looking down on her like she was some fragile little porcelain doll. She was a grown woman and she could make her own choices!

No one was to tell her who she should be with or how many times. Just like no one had the right to tell her how to dress or judge her after what clothes she wore. She was free to do as she pleased and if he wanted her, then why the fuck shouldn't she be able to have him? If she wanted to give him this once if a lifetime experience then who was he to deny her?

'I'm a strong, independent woman, Natsu!' she practiced in her mind. 'If I tell you to have your way with me, then I've given you my consent.'

Something sounded off with that and she practiced different versions of her explanation over and over in her head as she climbed the stairs to her apartment.

'No, Natsu, I'm not giving in or just accepting my faith as you seem to think. This is my choice!'

Oh, who was she kidding, she could do better than that! She was an aspiring novelist for Mavis' sake!

"Natsu, I want you to take me. I want you to be my first and my last!"

A sudden flash of light blinded her just as she was about to open the door and she jumped several steps back, almost tumbling down the stairs as she lost her balance.

"Oh my sweet hime!" a soft voice called from the disappearing light. "Natsu?"

"Loke!" Lucy gasped as the lion spirit appeared before her.

"I don't want to question your decisions, hime," the spirit said while he grabbed Lucy's hand and led it to his soft lips. "But I'm sure you could do better."

With a wicked wink he kissed her hand and trailed his lips up her arm. Lucy pulled it away from him and the lion looked at her from under raised brows like a hurt little kitten.

"Stop it, Loke," the celestial mage sighed and grabbed the golden key at her belt. "Don't make me force your gate shut."

"Then, at least let me give you some advice," the spirit said as he straightened the collar of his shirt.

"Like what?" the blond asked hesitantly.

Leaning forwards the lion purred in her ear:

"I can show you-"

"Nope," Lucy said and pushed his face away from her. "Not happening."

"Then how about some hints on sex appeal?" the spirit asked. "I could tell you what a real man wants."

"I know what Natsu wants," Lucy said firmly but even now she felt her cheeks blush. "That's all that matters to me."

"And as for sex appeal..." she said in a soft, seductive voice while she leaned forward, putting the golden zodiac key between her two bulging mounds.

"Huh?" Loke muttered as his eyes melted from the sight.

"I think I'm a big enough girl to handle myself, don't you?" the blond smiled sweetly as she traced the blade of her key along the edge of her low cut top. "I don't even have to use your key anymore when I want you to come..."

She pronounced each word with a slow and deliberate accuracy, looking away from him until the very last word when she found his eyes and winked mischievously at him. The spirit stood gaping at her, watching every detail and drinking in the sight of her heavenly body aiming her movements at him. Suddenly, he grabbed his nose and just before he disappeared into the spirit world, Lucy saw the blood seeping through his fingers. She sighed and turned again towards the front door of her apartment.

"Now I'm all fired up!" she said to herself with a confident smile before she turned the handle and burst through the door.


	9. Chapter 7

The Sorcerer article - Part 7

* * *

 _Have I told you this story is really, really naughty? Well here it is, a first in the last chapter. Please enjoy!_

* * *

When the door opened, Natsu was ready to burst. His worst fears had played before his eyes like a video tape stuck on repeat, the only difference was that the scenes changed each time. From something horribly dreadful to scenes depicting something even worse. Blood, guts and tassels of blond hair lay splattered across the floor in his visions. The only constant thing was the fact that he was the cold hearted culprit who ripped her heart out and ignored her pleas for mercy.

'Was she hurt?' he thought as he lay motionless on the bedroom floor. 'If so, was it his fault? And if so, what did he do to her?'

Too many questions echoed in his mind and he thought he must be going insane. He wasn't used to having this much stuff in his head and now it happened all at the same time! Honestly, how did Lucy ever manage?

He sniffed at the pool of blood but the strong smell of fire and burnt feathers covered whatever human scent was hidden underneath it. He knew that he had been bleeding from his fight with Gajeel but this seemed like an awful lot of blood!

"Lucy?" he tried one more time but again without result. "Hey, if you're hiding somewhere then, please, come out!"

He peeked into the bathroom but her scent was long gone in there. He tried the kitchen cupboards, the hallway closet and even under her bed, but she wasn't hiding anywhere.

"Maybe she left?" he said to himself and turned to walk out the door. He grabbed the handle and pulled the door towards him.

* * *

"Natsu!" a surprised blond said as she slammed right into the dragon slayer who stood steadfast in the doorway. "You're awake!"

"Lucy?" he asked seriously and grabbed her arms, staring into her eyes. "Are you ok?"

"Of course I'm ok, you baka!" the celestial mage said and hit his head lightly. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I thought I'd hurt you," he said as he let go of her arms, rubbing his head awkwardly.

"You didn't." she said with her hands on her hips.

"But I could have!" he insisted.

"Sure," Lucy said sarcastically. "And you could've been king of Fiore too!"

"I was," Natsu pointed out with a mischievous grin as he followed her into the kitchen.

"Wearing a crown doesn't mean you're a king, Natsu," the celestial mage said with a sigh.

"It does if it's the king's crown!" Natsu insisted childishly as Lucy put her bag on the table with another sigh.

The celestial mage began unpacking her groceries and the dragon slayer sat down to watch her. After some time he grew restless and started drawing circles with his flames on the kitchen table. Lucy ignored him. She had to pick her fights carefully and this was one fight she'd already given up on long ago. That table was a lost cause.

"Do you want some tea?" she asked the dragon slayer who was still scratching her furniture with his flaming fingertips. "And biscuits?"

"Nah..." the pink haired man answered absentmindedly and Lucy was stunned, what was wrong with him?! Denying free food was not a common trait in the dragon slayer.

"Natsu?" she asked with worry in her voice just as she put the last of the food in the refrigerator. "What's wrong?"

"I'm gonna take a ten year mission!" the young man suddenly blurted out.

"What?!" she yelled in surprise and turned towards him.

"I have to get stronger," he said and slammed his fist against the table. "I have to be strong enough to protect you."

"Natsu..." the blond sighed and smiled fondly. "I don't need you to protect me."

"I know that I can protect you from people like those bastards hitting on you in the street, and monsters and dark mages, but I can't protect you from myself," he said as he stood up. "Not yet."

"Natsu," the celestial mage said firmly. "If you disappeared then I'm sure I'd be the one who needed protection, protection from myself."

"What do you mean?" the dragon slayer said, looking at her questioningly while furrowing his eyebrows in doubt.

"I mean that I don't know what I'd do without you," Lucy said and she felt the tears beginning to well up in her eyes. "I don't think I could stand losing you one more time!"

"Lucy..."

"No Natsu!" she said, ignoring the tone of surprise in his voice and the tears in her eyes as she decided that this was it. Now was the time to tell him how she felt. This was the point of no return.

"You tell me I'm strong," she said and brushed the tears from her eyes. "Yet you insist that I need protection!"

"Luce..."

"You tell me you want me," she continued, her eyes tightly shut to stop the tears from falling. "And yet you won't let me be with you!"

"Lucy!"

"I don't want you to go anywhere Natsu," she said and opened her eyes to look at his stunned expression. "I want you right here, right now."

She took one brave step towards him and closed the seemingly endless distance between them. With one hand she pulled his head down so that their foreheads touched and looked into his dark green eyes with as much determination as she could master.

"I'm all fired up!"

The dragon slayer's eyes looked surprised at first but then his expression changed and the usual fanged grin returned to his face. Oh, how she'd missed that mischievous smirk of his!

A light flashed in his eyes and, hungry with lust, they searched her great brown orbs for any sign of hesitation or regret. Finding none, his grin widened and he clasped his hands over her blushed cheeks.

"Come with me," he said and grabbed her hand.

"Mm," the celestial mage nodded with a smile before he dragged her away.

Somehow, the situation reminded her very much of their first meeting and how he'd dragged her off to join Fairy tail. That day had been the best day in her life and she just knew that this was a sign. A huge, glowing bright pink, neon sign saying that whatever happened from here on out was sure to be an exciting new adventure!

* * *

As they past her living room she could see the sun shining on the rainbow sakura trees. Natsu's hand felt warm over hers and the nervous knot in her stomach was slowly tightening.

'They were actually going to do it!' she thought as the mental suspense built up and her skin tingled with curiosity.

The dragon slayer led her to the burnt bed and Lucy flinched at the strong smell oozing from the blackened covers.

"Hmmm," Natsu said thoughtfully when he sensed Lucy's disapproval. "Here?"

"Baka!" Lucy cried angrily and hit the dragon slayer's head with a little more strength than a friendly gesture. "I'm not doing this here!"

"Alright! Alright!" the young man said while waving his hands in defence. "Where then?"

"Let's see..." the blond muttered and poked her cheek with her index finger. She considered all the places she knew, which had a somewhat appropriate setting, but she couldn't decide on any place that seemed to fit with what she wanted. Natsu's house was sure to be dirtier than a pigsty and the guild was both too messy and crowded at this time of the day. Levy's apartment at Fairy hills dormitory was probably their best choice, but Lucy felt her face burn bright red at just the thought of asking Levy about it.

"What are you thinking?" Natsu asked mischievously as he saw the colour on the celestial mage's face rise like a thermometer. "Something dirty?"

"Eh!?" Lucy cried in surprise. "What?"

"Are you thinking about something dirty?" Natsu repeated as if it was the most normal thing in the world to ask a fellow nakama.

"I heard you the first time!" Lucy spat. "Where did you learn about that?!"

"Hey!" the dragon slayer said, sounding slightly hurt. "I'm not stupid! I listen to what people say, especially when I think it's something I could really use."

"Oh?" the celestial mage said mockingly with one brow raised cunningly. "You caught that then?"

"Of course!" Natsu said before quickly adding. "I thought I could use it to make you feel good."

If fact, it had made him feel good more than a few times before as he imagined her whispering naughty things to him in his dreams and he was pretty sure he would explode instantly if Lucy whispered any of those things to him now.

"Really?" Lucy asked, her cheeks wearing a dusty pink hue.

"Yeah," Natsu said plainly, still standing opposite her in the middle of the room. "Like, if I told you that I want to taste you all over."

"Oh!" Lucy gasped as varying thoughts flickered across her mind. Anything from Natsu kissing her bare neck to him leaving butterfly kisses up the inside of her thigh. Her mind blanked out as she thought of him tasting her most intimate parts, kissing and dragging his sharp fangs over her sensitive skin. Would he want to do that?

"I want to be inside you," he said just as easily as if he'd told her he wanted to go on a mission. "I want to make you feel so good that you scream my name."

Lucy stood petrified, her mouth hanging open, as the dragon slayer continued.

"Not screaming because you're hurt," he added nervously. "But because you feel really good."

His words echoed off the walls and reached Lucy like a series of low, rumbling drumbeats, sending her body into a state of numbness.

"Am I doing this right?" the dragon slayer asked awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head. Lucy woke from her trance and smiled at the pink haired young man. He was so obliviously dumb, naive in the cutest way possible and a completely reckless idiot. But he was her reckless idiot and she loved him more than words could describe.

"No stupid," she said with a gentle smile. "You have to say it differently, whisper it like it's a secret."

"But it's not a secret anymore," the dragon slayer said. "I want the whole world to know!"

"Idiot!" Lucy said as she leaned her face in her hand. "You're not walking around blurting out that we had sex!"

"Then what do I say?"

"I don't know," the celestial mage said at a loss for other words. "If you really have to tell people about us then tell them we're together."

"Together?" the dragon slayer asked hesitantly.

"Like a couple," Lucy explained before she realized that maybe, Natsu's hesitation was not because he didn't know what she'd meant, but because he knew perfectly well and he just didn't want them to be a couple.

"If you'd want that?" she added nervously.

"Happy's gonna be so excited!" Natsu said with a wide smile and Lucy signed in relief.

Apparently, he had no problem with her referring to them as a couple. In fact, he seemed more happy than anything else, that she'd suggested such a thing.

"Speaking of Happy," Lucy said as she'd pretty much given up on finding an appropriate place for what they wanted to do. "Maybe we should just get back to the guild, the others are probably really worried about you."

"They're fine," Natsu said and put his hand to his ear like a funnel. "They're discussing whether we've done it yet or not."

"What!?" Lucy gasped. "Those idiots!"

"And besides," the dragon slayer said, stepping towards her and putting her chin in his hand. "I have something to do before we go back there."

The intensity in his voice sent shivers down Lucy's spine and her knees grew weak at his touch.

"What's that?" she asked meekly.

"I told you, right?" the fire mage said as he leaned closer to whisper in her ear. "I want to set your body on fire..."

The dragon slayer trailed wet kisses up her neck and nuzzled his nose into her blond locks. She smelled so sweet, like chocolate and honey, and when he kissed her lips he could taste the same heavenly mixture on her tongue.

"Natsu, that tickles!" she exclaimed as he nibbled on her ear.

"This?" he asked and licked her neck.

"Yes!" she laughed and pushed him away.

"Come on, Lucy!" he said with big, round puppy eyes. "You taste so good!"

"I'm not your candy!" the celestial mage said and crossed her arms.

"Are you sure?" he asked with a wide grin. "Cause I could just eat you up!"

"Natsu!" she gasped when his lips found their way down her chest to the edge of her low-cut top.

"Can I..?" he asked and motioned to his hand which stretched out towards her left breast.

"Here," she told him and took his hand, leading it to lay between her two generous mounds.

"Wow!" the dragon slayer gasped and tried a gentle squeeze. "They're so soft!"

"You have felt them before you know," Lucy said and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah," he agreed as he rubbed her nipple through the thin fabric. "But this is different, you're not kicking me away."

"I told you, right?" the blond said between heavy breaths. "I want you to touch me."

She closed her eyes and focused on his careful administrations. The way he stroke her sensitive skin as he nibbled on her lower lip, his hand slowly finding its way in under her thin top, making her tremble and shake, her whole body begging for more of his tender touches.

"Natsu, kiss me," she ordered with blushed cheeks and he obeyed, passionately catching her lips with his. He kissed her cheeks and her nose, her chin and forehead.

"Here," she whispered, her voice raspy as she pointed to her swelling bosom.

He was quick to follow her instructions and when he pulled down her top to nibble on her soft nipple, the celestial mage let out a low moan, urging him to continue. Natsu felt his hunger rise as the nipple in his mouth stiffened and Lucy's sounds grew stronger. She let her head fall back as the dragon slayer's mouth played with her breasts. A deep ache burnt between her legs, sending numbing pulses out through her thighs. Her breathing grew ragged, her chest rising and falling at an increasing speed. Natsu's hands trailed down her soft stomach, around her waist and down to the small of her back. Carefully he pulled her towards him, a low growl emerging from his mouth as their bodies met. To ease the growing need in his pants, the dragon slayer bucked his hips, rubbing his hardened member against the celestial mage's heated core.

"Natsu!" she gasped at the sudden contact.

Her eyes widened as she felt his member push against the inside of her thigh. It was huge! How was he ever going to fit inside of her?

"Lucy..." the dragon slayer moaned as he abandoned her erect nipple to the cold of the air. His hands grabbed her buttocks and pulled her closer to him. The celestial mage felt her loins throb. The intimate contact from his warm body satisfied some of her need, but still she craved more. She wanted him to touch her, down there. She wanted him to ease this growing desire with the heat of his body.

"Touch me, Natsu," she whispered in his ear.

The dragon slayer looked at her questioningly.

"I am touching you," he said and squeezed her right buttock to prove his point.

"I-I mean," Lucy stuttered as her cheeks blushed darker than before. "Down there."

"Huh?" Natsu asked and pulled back to look at the celestial mage. Her blond hair lay spread out like a glowing halo around her pretty, little face. The cold bedroom floor didn't seem to bother her as the colour on her cheeks betrayed her feelings.

"Here," she said boldly as she moved her shaking hand to rest upon the throbbing member in his pants.

"Oh," Natsu said with a wide smile. "Is this what you want?"

He moved his hand up her thigh, under her skirt to the edge of her lace trimmed panties. Drawing circles on the soft fabric, he leaned down his head to kiss her neck. Lucy mimicked his movements, gently stroking her fingers over the pulsating bulge.

"Harder," Natsu whispered between kisses and Lucy dared a firm squeeze. She heard the dragon slayer growl back in response and repeated her gesture. His heavy breath was hot against her neck, tickling her sensitive skin and making her moan out in pleasure. Suddenly, a stinging pain hit her and she drew back with a whelp.

"What are you doing?!" she yelled at the dragon slayer.

"Removing your cloth-"

"Not with fire, you flame brain!"

"I wouldn't have burnt you if you'd only stopped moving," Natsu said and crossed his arms. "You're trembling worse than an autumn leaf."

"That's-" Lucy began but didn't know how to finish her explanation. "And besides, you're still wearing all of your clothes!"

"What?"

"You first," she said firmly and nodded towards the dragon slayer's loose, white pants and black vest.

"Oh," Natsu said and shrugged out of his clothes unbelievably fast.

"Wow," Lucy muttered faintly impressed. "You could probably beat Grey at that."

"I can beat that icicle at anything!" Natsu said as he knelt back down to sit between Lucy's legs on the bedroom floor.

The celestial mage had only a short moment to admire his body before he slammed his lips onto hers again, somehow removing her top in the process of competing with her tongue for dominance. Her breasts danced as she moved, kissing his lips and nibbling on the scar at the base of his neck which was usually covered by the scaly, white scarf. The dragon slayer let out a husky moan as Lucy grabbed his hair and pulled him closer to her.

"You smell so good," he whispered as his hand trailed down her side, over the tiny, blue skirt and under its white, lace trim.

"Ah, Natsu!" the celestial mage screamed in pleasure as the dragon slayer inserted his index finger into her dripping wet core. She felt her walls clench around his finger, her whole body quivering under his touch. The intense euphoria she experienced as he repeatedly rammed his digit into her, carefully rubbing her exposed clit while his tongue licked her jawline hungrily. It was a feeling of complete bliss, agonizing pleasure and painful desire all at the same time.

"Don't stop!" Lucy yelled and felt the dragon slayer smirk against her neck. He continued his kisses to her neck, nibbling on her chin and licking her collarbone. His hand moved at a steady pace when the celestial mage felt a familiar build up in her stomach.

"Natsu," she said between heavy breaths. "Don't stop. What ever happens. Don't stop!"

The pink haired young man saw the glassy look in her eyes and smiled mischievously. Oh, he'd never stop. Not now that he was so close to giving her all of him.

He inserted another digit, then another, and soon all of his fingers were pulling at her insides while his thumb massaged the sensitive spots around her inner labia. Natsu felt her knees tremble on either side of his body and with his free hand he held her down. Fighting his restraints, Lucy bucked her hips to give him better access into her slick folds. The new angle made him hit a sensitive point and suddenly, her stomach felt like it was on fire. She only needed something to push her over the edge.

Seeing the inner turmoil of the girl in his hands, Natsu leaned down to give her that last nudge.

"I love you, Lucy," he whispered as his hand increased its movements, sloppy sounds coming from her insides as he thrust into her over and over again. "Now, come for me."

Lucy screamed as the pleasure rolled over her like a wave. For just a few seconds she was alone, her womb burning and her body exploding into millions of tiny, little fragments of herself. The intense heat which streamed out into her limbs slowly numbed away the feeling of breaking apart and soon she was back in her apartment, with a dragon slayer glistening of sweat leaning over her.

"If you still want me-" he muttered as his head turned shyly away from her.

"Of course I do, you weirdo!" the celestial mage told him. Her breathing was still ragged from the lingering excitement but her voice was clear as Lacrima crystal.

"So I should just-?" Natsu said awkwardly, looking down into her lust filled eyes.

"Yes," Lucy told him with a smile. Then she remembered something and sat up, leaning on her elbow as she reached out one hand towards the dragon slayer. "Wait, stop!"

"I wasn't doing anything!" Natsu said in slight irritation, raising his open palms to prove his innocence.

"We need protection," the celestial mage said meekly.

"Oh, haha, right," the dragon slayer laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I sorta already handled that."

"Huh?" Lucy said doubtfully until she saw the rubber covering Natsu's erect cock. "So fast!"

"Yeah, I guess..." Natsu continued while his entire face flushed bright red.

Lucy smiled and couldn't help but laugh at the weirdness of the dragon slayer. Her weird, adorable dragon slayer.

"Natsu, come here," she said with a smile. "I'm still waiting for you."

"I love you Lucy," he said as he leaned down to kiss her one more time.

"I love you too, Natsu."

He put the head of his dick against the slick opening of her cunt and in one agonizingly slow move, he pushed himself in. The tightness of her walls around him was almost enough to send him straight to heaven. He never knew there was anything in this world that could rival the heat and intensity of his flames, but Lucy's body was making those flames fade and wither into ashes, as she pushed her hips up to swallow the entirety of his length. He stayed still, reveling in the feeling of her walls enclosing him and the expression of shear euphoria across her face. She didn't seem hurt, no, she seemed excited. She didn't ask him to stop, or beg him not to hurt her, no, instead she begged him for more.

"Natsu, ngh," she moaned underneath him. "Please- please-"

For just one second Natsu looked at her and wondered 'when was the pain gonna start?' He'd heard all about first times, the pain and the blood. He was used to causing people trouble and he'd been sure he would hurt her. He was a walking time bomb, just waiting to explode. But apparently not this time.

"Lucy, you ok?" he whispered as he stared into her big, brown orbs.

"I'm fine! Now please, please Natsu!"

"Oh, yeah, right-" he said and carefully pulled back until he was at her entrance again, only letting the head of his dick rest in her warm core. With a quick thrust he was back inside her, balls deep, he repeated his move over and over. He caught her lips with his and felt her moan into his mouth. The sound vibrated in his throat and he countered with a low rumble. Faster, harder, he rammed into her, each thrust resulting in a splashing sound as he plunged into her dripping wet pussy.

"Na-ah-ah-tsu!" the celestial mage gasped between thrusts.

"Lucy I'm-" the dragon slayer began but his words were instantly cut off as a warm wave of pleasure took him. Thrusting with all of his might, he rode out his feelings of bliss and ecstasy, repeatedly impaling the heated sheath that was Lucy's core.

The celestial mage recognized her partner's strained voice and clenched her walls as he came inside her with a fierce roar. Milking the last of him, she came down from her own impending high, happy with the fact that it was she who'd caused him this much pleasure and satisfaction.

Looking into the celestial mage's eyes, Natsu smiled warmly, his whole face burning with pride and happiness.

"Lucy, I'm-"

Suddenly, his whole body went limp and he feel asleep right on top of his newfound lover.

"Huh? Natsu?" Lucy asked kindly, only to be met by heavy snores. "Oh come on! Natsu you're still inside me!"

"Shush, Lucy," the dragon slayer hushed her and shifted his body to lay beside her. "I'm trying to sleep."

"Idiot," Lucy sighed before she snuggled into the warm embrace of her best friend.

"Weirdo Lucy..." Natsu smiled and kissed her forehead as he pulled the pink carpet over their intertwined bodies.

Outside the window, the last rays of the evening sun shone through the leaves of the rainbow sakura trees, illuminating the ceiling of Lucy's bedroom. Oh, this was definitely a bright new adventure, and it all began with an article in a sorcerer's magazine.

* * *

"Cool! Cool! This just in! Baby salamanders taking over Fairy tail!"

"Natsu, stop him!"

"You bastard! Come here or I'll turn you into ash!"

* * *

 _Now, who wants a steamy epilogue?_


End file.
